Inquisition wasn't quite as bad as people think, says Pope (Except for GASP!! THE COMFY CHAIR!!)

Telegraph ^ | 6/16/04

[areafiftyone]

The Vatican sought to play down the terrors of the Inquisition yesterday, claiming that far fewer people were tortured and executed for heresy than was popularly believed.

The reassessment by Church historians was seized on by the Pope to qualify the apology he made for the Inquisition during the Church's millennium celebrations.

The research emerged from a conference of scholars convened in 1998 to help the Pope assess the impact of the Inquisition, which often used brutal methods to suppress alleged witchcraft and doctrinal unorthodoxy.

Church officials said that statistics and other data demolished myths about the Inquisition, including that torture and executions were commonly used.

"For the first time we studied the Inquisition in its entirety, from its beginnings to the 19th century," said Agostino Borromeo, a professor of history of Catholic and other Christian confessions at Rome's Sapienza University. Prof Borromeo said that while there were some 125,000 trials of suspected heretics in Spain, research found that about one per cent of the defendants were executed, far fewer than commonly believed. Many of the burnings at the stake were carried out by civil rather than religious tribunals.

Yesterday, the Pope reiterated his mea culpa but stressed that actions which had "disfigured the face of the Church" had to be viewed in their historical context.

[Flying Circus]

No, Campion is making a statement of fact. You are confused if you think that infallibility has any bearing on the inquisition or vice-versa. You seem very defensive in your response to those critical of what you said by casting aspersions on their motives rather than dealing with the content of their response.

[Clara Lou]

OK-- I accept as true what you say about the ex-cathedra issue.

[Antoninus]

Always resort to casting aspersions when someone says something that you don't agree with.

He's not casting aspersions. You simply don't know what you're talking about. We practicing Catholics are encouraged to exercise a little virtue called humility. I guess that's something you left behind when you left the Church, eh?

[Clara Lou]

You seem very defensive
That's interesting, because, all I want is to be perfectly clear that I am not bashing the Catholic Church. I just don't agree with it.

[Clara Lou]

You simply don't know what you're talking about. We practicing Catholics are encouraged to exercise a little virtue called humility. I guess that's something you left behind when you left the Church, eh?
How did my humility, or lack thereof, get into this? I question your logic (or lack there of).

[Solamente]

The number of people tortured and then murdered by the Inquisition was 14 million, and I was told that by a pinko teacher while attending Nazareth High School. Go figure.

[Antoninus]

OK-- I accept as true what you say about the ex-cathedra issue.

I take back the humility comment. I hadn't seen this post yet when I wrote it.

[js1138]

Spain's "civil rights" record during the era of the inquisition compares favorably to most of the rest of Europe.

That's OK if you believe the politics and truth evolve, but not good enough if you believe the church derives its authority from an unchanging God.

[Flying Circus]

BS. I don't know any Catholic who tries to deny the Inquisition happened. Most actually believe the overblown, anti-catholic, propagandized version of events... including probably your Dominican. Take a look at the historical record being written even secular historians and you will find that, while sad and unfortunate, it was not nearly so bad as it has been made out to be.

Did you know that there were many people who petitioned to be tried by the inquisition rather than the secular courts? The perception of the people at that time and place was that the Church courts were more just and kinder in their judgment than the civil authorities.

[Antoninus]

The number of people tortured and then murdered by the Inquisition was 14 million, and I was told that by a pinko teacher while attending Nazareth High School. Go figure.

Too funny. I doubt if there were even 14 million people living in Spain at the time.

[tjwmason]

Spain's "civil rights" record during the era of the inquisition compares favorably to most of the rest of Europe.

Also the Inquisition compares favourably with Spanish civil practice at the time. A documentary produced by the B.B.C. (who are notoriously anti-Catholic) gave evidence that people arrested for saecular crimes (e.g., theft) would sometimes start to shout blasphemies so that they would be taken to the Inquisition's gaols rather than the saecular ones.

These were rough times, the Inquisition was no worse than most, and far better than many. It is simply that the printing-press, and anti-Catholicism from the heretical prots came along at the wrong time.

[pctech]

Oh pah-leeze! The Catholic church is trying to minimize the fact that it was responsible for the murders, YES MURDERS, of hundreds of thousands of protestants (be sure and put the empathsis on "Pro"), all because the people murdered didn't want to accept the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and didn't except his teachings. Pure and simple.

You can't minimize something like that. And if you to believe the dominican was "off his rocker" then go right ahead. I would believe this sincere man over the likes of folks like yourself anyday.

[Solamente]

One time, a buddy and I were given detention. We were sent to maintain the convent at Holy Innocents, Brooklyn, NY.

Even though we were kids in the late 1960's, the sight of the nun's "Frederick's of Hollywood" underwear hanging on a clothesline blew our minds.

The "Sisters of Mercy" were clad head to foot in their habits. A burka barely was a step further.

I swear to Jesus Himself that I then knew that the Roman Catholic Church was a sham.

[Flying Circus]

Hundreds of thousands huh? Why don't you just go for the gusto and say millions? You are the one who is "off his rocker."

[babyface00]

Believe me, this can often be boring and difficult to navigate, but everything you ever wanted to know about the Catholic faith is well documented here:

http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/ccc_toc.htm

There are, however, many summaries. A good one (with references) on papal infallibility is here:

http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/papal.htm

You might not always agree with what the Church says, but its always good to know why they are saying it. If there's one thing that can be said about the Catholic church, they have great documentation.

[SJackson]

YEAHHHHH...Alright Rack History of the World reset LOLOL!...Yeah everybody know that Inquistation was worst thing history done on Jewish community in Spain do you notice after they expel Jews ...SPAIN went downhill at that took 100 years...WHO CARE ...NICE GOIN SPAIN

The Turkish Sultan noticed. It is interesting in these revisions that the expulsion of several hundred thousand Jews goes unnoticed. Heck, even Columbus noticed what was going on.

How can you call Ferdinand of Aragon a wise king, the same Ferdinand who impoverished his own land and enriched ours?"
Sultan Bayezid (Bajazet) II

[Solamente]

Over the entire time the Inquisition held sway, I failed to include.

[pctech]

Another true believer in his church. Can't blame you for standing up for them. But even a casual glance at accurate history books tells of a number even greater than I annotated in my post.

Oh, and throwing insults only shows immaturity. Why don't you stay above the fray and act rationally.

[davisfh]

"Inquisition wasn't quite as bad as people think,..."

Yep. Just sort of like a fraternity hazing that got a little out of hand.

[Solamente]

http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/s/sp/spanish_inquisition.html

Bump, por favor.