Sentence:  As we have seen, the Waldensians took the apostolic lives led by their barbes as proof that they spoke the truth, just as, contrariwise, it proved the priests who lived unworthy lives had no power. Again, Monet Rey gives the most precise explanation of the matter in 1494: / : The <WSD>ecclesiasts</WSD> had and possessed too great wealth and more goods than they needed; it was for that reason that they committed many bad actions; [...] 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A cleric; someone (such as a priest) who administers a church (ecclesia) or other religious gathering/group.