Posted on 07/18/2015 9:34:09 AM PDT by Salvation
Question: What was the Church’s involvement with the Spanish Inquisition? It seems clothed in shadows. — Dorothy Perez, San Antonio Answer: This brief column cannot cover all the details and provide extensive references. However, the Spanish Inquisition was run by the secular government, not by the Church. The Church did have its own inquisition, distinct from the secular government of Spain. Most people preferred the Church’s inquisition and often appealed cases there since it was more clement and just by their estimation. The term “inquisition” simply refers to an inquiry into charges leveled against a person, usually of heresy. They were questioned as to their true views rather than be condemned on hearsay or rumors. If a person was found guilty of heresy, they were permitted to recant or clarify their views. If they would not, the solutions ranged from exile and imprisonment to, in rarer cases, death. In an age of secularism and wider religious liberty (though it is increasingly threatened), such severe measures strike moderns as excessive and reactionary. However, until recent times, religion, social order and justice were strongly tied to proper religious practice and understanding. For one to adopt heretical views and encourage others to do so posed a serious threat to the social order and peace. The state, even more than the Church, would seldom abide religious rebellion and knew by instinct that social disorder and chaos often followed religious squabbles. Did the Church cooperate with the Spaniards? To some degree yes, to others degrees no. The Church’s hands are not likely pure in the matter. But neither are the Protestants who ran a tight ship in places like Geneva and England. There are many Catholic martyrs to show that Protestants, too, worked with local governments to shut down dissent from Protestant notions and punish noncompliance, often with death.
As they demonize Luther for his anti-Semitic views, it is well worth noting he was trained and raised Catholic. He studied Catholic, he believed Catholic, he lived Catholic until the Holy Spirit impressed upon him the obvious errors in some of their beliefs. He was guided to be anti-Semitic.
Okay, now tell the truth everybody....how many of you opened up this thread to look for the Monty Python references?
I came for fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms. I am also a fan of comfy chairs.
It’s important to note that at first, the Inquisition was asked for and appreciated by the Spanish laity. This begs the question why?
“The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and to replace the Medieval Inquisition, which was under Papal control. It became the most substantive of the three different manifestations of the wider Christian Inquisition along with the Roman Inquisition and Portuguese Inquisition.
“The Inquisition was originally intended in large part to ensure the orthodoxy of those who converted from Judaism and Islam. This regulation of the faith of the newly converted was intensified after the royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1501 ordering Jews and Muslims to convert or leave Spain.”
So, the historical context is that the Muslims had finally been kicked out of Spain, which had then become a unified kingdom under Ferdinand and Isabella.
But what was not mentioned was that with the end of the conflict, Catholic orthodoxy was in a sorry state. Many of the peasants reverted to pagan practices, and many of the clergy were corrupt and perverse. The faithful Catholic laity were horrified by it all, and wanted intervention to stop it.
The Medieval Inquisition was moribund, so a strong and determined Royal Inquisition was what the public wanted. At first it was very successful in rooting out things like pagan practices, and priests who had turned their churches into brothels. And there were so many problems that the largest of the Catholic orders were brought in to help clean up.
However, its successes were soon replaced by various Inquisitors who turned it into an extortion-protection scheme to enrich themselves. Thus wealthy, landed people soon had to protect themselves by hiring clergymen to swear on their behalf that they were righteous, so they would not have to forfeit their wealth.
Other communities of faith and civic organizations are free to form their own organs of internal review. The Holy Inquisition exists to police the Holy Catholic Church and no one else.
That’s as may be. I was merely pointing out some really poor English, though, and have no intention of being drawn into any Catholic-versus-Protestant bickering.
Did you even read the article you posted?
Did the Church cooperate with the Spaniards? To some degree yes, to others degrees no.
Sounds like a typical Roman Catholic whitewash.
Revisionism.
There aren’t many religions, whose adherents haven’t committed atrocities in the name of their religion. Islam is the only one that still does.
Tell that to the Cathars
Indeed. People who reference the Spanish Inquisition as a way to attack Catholics is like liberals referencing slavery to attack conservatives regarding black culture.
Details and references are pesky things.
I wonder if officials knew that after hundred year from their time period future internet forum be posting photo of Monty Python skit and Mel Brooks you tube
His grammar was corrected in version 2 of the following:
About Jews in his famous lectures of desktop Luther said
Here Luther uses his desktop to expound on lectures available in PDF
Wonder if he made PowerPoint versions?
With that kind of reasoning, abortion is okay because infants would die sooner or later (old age if nothing else). And if the Cathars weren't Christian, it was by Catholic standards. They considered themselves Christian but it was a mixture of mysticisms and Scripture. But yeah, if they weren't Catholic, I guess it's open season on Cathars.
If you want to claim the Cathars as Protestants, be my guest. It says more about your own belief system than anything else.
The protestants were vicious to the Catholics in St. Elizabeth’s England (1585 Penal Laws and the killing of priests) and the Puritans and other protestants persecuted (including the burning of Churches) Catholics in the New World.
Can we talk about the deliberate starvation of 1.5 million Catholic Irish at the hands of the British protestants?
These sad eras are due to original sin and its effects on all of mankind - Catholics are no worse than Protestants and all are subject to original sin.
St. Margaret Clitherow ora pro nobis
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