How does Boccaccio present the church and/or the conventions of courtly love in his work? Should he be viewed as critical or as acceptant of these traditions? Defend your position with examples from some of the stories dealing with the church and/or love.

It can be argued that Boccaccio acted as a social critic in the Decameron. He essentially satirized the conventions of courtly love and the false piety displayed by members of the clergy.
In the fourteenth century (the Decameron was written in 1353), courtly romance was supposed to exemplify the ennobling nature of love. A knight or lover would worship his beloved (usually a princess or court lady) from afar. Sometimes, the knight pined away for his king's concubine or queen. The love of the ill-fated couple could never be consummated; conventions would never allow it. Instead, the knight comforted himself with the thought that he was elevated by merely loving such a specimen of female perfection.
In the Decameron, however, this idea of courtly love is turned on its head. Ladies are just as eager to consummate their passions as men. Additionally, Boccaccio's stories demonstrate that chastity and passion are antithetical to each other. In other words, lust is an overpowering force, and there is no such thing as chaste, courtly love. Boccaccio makes his thoughts most evident in the fourth story of the first day. In this story, an abbot catches a monk having sexual relations with a nubile young woman.
The monk, knowing that he has been discovered, uses trickery to get himself out of trouble. He locks his cell door (with the girl still in his room) and makes his way to the abbot. During an audience with his superior, the monk asks for permission to finish a task. The abbot agrees, not realizing that the monk had seen him spying earlier. While the monk is away, the abbot lets himself into the monk's cell. Of course, the abbot's intentions are initially pure. However, when he sees the beautiful woman before him, he decides to consummate his own lust.
As for the monk, he hides and watches his superior satiate his passion. Then, he confronts the abbot and indirectly reveals what he has seen. This is how the monk gets out of trouble. In this story, Boccaccio lambastes both courtly love and the Church. Members of the clergy are seen to be no more "holy" than the average man. Meanwhile, "chaste" women continually surrender to the force of their sexual passion. Neither sex can claim the moral high ground, according to Boccaccio. Here are three more stories that demonstrate Boccaccio's thoughts about courtly love and the Church.
1) The second story of the third day—a horsekeeper sleeps with King Agilulf's wife and uses trickery to avoid humiliation. This story shows the limitations of courtly love.
2) The sixth story of the third day—Ricciardo loves another man's wife and tricks her into sleeping with him. This story again turns the idea of courtly love on its head.
3) The tenth tale of the third day—this is one of the bawdiest tales in the Decameron. In this story, Rustico (a monk) essentially rapes a young woman, tricking her into thinking that the satiation of sexual passion equates to service to God. In reality, Rustico has taken full advantage of an innocent girl. In this story, Boccaccio again turns the era's prevailing beliefs about the clergy and courtly love on their head.
Source:
1) The Olde Daunce: Love, Friendship, Sex, and Marriage in the Medieval World by Robert Edwards.