I've heard that there were some time when people would go to a church and ask the priests to be protected from gangsmen, enemy soldiers (at war) or even law forces. Is that actually true? Did people actually respect the priests' decision? Did people appeal to that very often? There were some kind of requirements? When did that start to dissapear?
hi! It may be worth x-posting to some religious subs (/r/AskReligion?) for current policy and legal status in various churches/countries. As for historical use, you can get started on these posts