You raise a good point.
It is probably the result of the church and state connection. When the church in Rome became dominant it began to attract the wealthy and powerful into it's hierarchy. Ambrose is a great example, he went from being a pagan to becoming a Christian, to becoming a Bishop in one week.
Also, prior to the Reformation and the Scriptures becoming unlocked the RCC was able to threaten excommunication and eternal damnation to those that would not do it's bidding. They claimed to hold all the secrets and power over salvation (pretty elitist). They could raise armies to fight in the crusades by promising eternal life to all that went. IOW, they have a history of acting like an autocrat.
I've been reading about some of the Christian Churches that were persecuted at the direction of Rome and one of the common denominators among these groups was they refused to submit to the dominance of Rome and instead trusted Scripture. The resulting persecution being another example of the autocratic/elitist mind set.
Fascism can dress in a variety of skirts and shirts, but it’s all the same thing — power in the hands of a select few over the lives and souls of the rest of us.