The Infamous Inquisition

INQUISITION

The question of the famous Inquisition is quite the touchy subject, especially in the realm of apologetics where the Inquisition is often brought out as a tool to bash Catholic apologists and Catholicism in general. For the average person, whether they be protestant, atheist, Catholic, etc. the Inquisition is viewed as a sort of Holocaust. Or at the very least a Salem-style witch hunt throughout Europe in which ruthless Jesuit priests hunted heretics like dogs and burned them at the stake on sight of them. While there certainly was some abuses and unneeded death, a proper understanding of the Inquisition is needed before any bold statements can be said by either side of the debate.

Before diving head-first into what the Inquisition is, there is a few points that must be made clear from the very beginning. First, the Inquisition did not exist as one event but was rather an effort that manifested itself in two main ways; as the Medieval Inquisition and the Spanish Inquisition. Second, the Inquisition did not introduce the world to the term heretic, nor was it responsible for the creation of torture methods, new punishments, or even tribunals; all of which already existed in the courts of the time. Punishment for the charge of “heresy” first appeared in the year 325[1], because of Emperor Constantine, in the form of fines and imprisonment and the first execution for heresy occurred in the year 350[2] despite opposition from the Pope and various other important figures in the Church. Lastly, in no way do the abuses that happened in the Inquisition discredit the beliefs of the Church. At most they prove the sinfulness, greed, and pride of human beings which the Church fully 

acknowledges.

Beginnings

The Inquisition started as a response to the growth of the Catharist heresy in the thirteenth century. This group did not simply believe something against the Catholic beliefs but was aggressive towards the sacraments, the feudal social order (they were against any type of oath), and towards themselves as they made suicide a duty. To a Christian world, this was troubling to say the least. The Church responded by creating the office of the Inquisition, and so the Medieval Inquisition began. The Pope would elect permanent judges, usually from mendicant orders like the Dominicans or Franciscans, who were zealous in faith, unselfish, unmoved by worldly desires, well-educated, and obedient to the Church. These inquisitors would go to an area troubled by heresy, with the permission and cooperation of the local bishop, and combat the heresy through evangelization and through the famous formal trials.

 Procedure

When an Inquisitor would arrive at a place afflicted by heresy the residents of the area would appear before him, those who would admit to heresy right then and there would be given a punishment that resembled a penance for example; a pilgrimage, assisting to build a church, etc. Never was a capital punishment like imprisonment or execution given in this case. At times evidence would be gathered against an individual and they would be summoned before the Inquisitor. If they confessed, then the ordeal would end, and they would be given a punishment similar to the examples already discussed. If the accused did not confess they would be scared into confessing (they would be made to understand that death awaited them if they did not confess), kept in close confinement, visited by tried people who would in a friendly manner persuade them to confess, or tortured. If the accused would still would not confess then witnesses would be gathered, legally two but in practice more, to defend or to condemn the accused. False witnesses would be treated with no mercy, often imprisoned for life since perjury was a grave offense. Then the documents of the trial would be handed over to examination by thirty or more experienced and educated men from the clergy and laity. These Boni Viri (Good Men) would decide whether the accused was guilty or not and what punishment they would get if guilty. Finally, the accused would be called to a designated place early in the morning where a short exhortation was given, secular officials sworn in to be obedient to the inquisitor, charges read, and punishments announced from minor to most severe. At any point through this entire proceeding the accused could appeal to Rome for reason of an unfair proceeding or a bad inquisitor. Bad trials such as the one against Archbishop Talavera[3] would be proclaimed unjust and the inquisitors punished accordingly.

Torture

During these times, unlike now, the use of torture was not something out of the ordinary and so it cannot be denied that torture was used during the Inquisitions as well. It should be understood, however, that there were strict guidelines for its use set in place by the Church. In the Papal Bull Ad Extirpanda[4], written by Pope Innocent VI in 1252, torture was allowed to be used once to force a confession and “citra membri diminutionem et mortis periculum” (without causing loss of limb, life, or endangering life). Unfortunately, there were times that this was not followed, mostly under the influence or pressure of secular authorities, and the torture was more brutal.

Death Penalty

The goal of the Inquisition was to destroy heresy at its roots, not the loss of human life or even worse, endangering the souls of people. The Church desired for a conversion of an individual, so their soul could be saved and enter eternal happiness, something that cannot be done if the individual is flat out killed in sin (heresy). For this reason, the punishments given by the Inquisition were more of penances directed towards conversion and the fulfillment of Catholic religious duties. In some cases, the Inquisition decided that there was no more punishment that can be given to an individual by the Church and so the individual was handed over to the secular authorities, who more often than not, would execute them. It was not common practice for an individual to be handed over to secular authorities though, two examples of from the heresy-ridden areas of Pamiers and Toulouse in France will put it into perspective. In Pamiers from the years 1318-1324, 24[5] people were convicted of heresy and 5 were handed over to the secular authorities, that is 5 people executed over 6 years. In Toulouse from the years 1308-1323, 930[6] people were convicted of heresy and 42 were handed over the secular authorities, that is 42 executions over the span of 15 years (about 3 per year). Of course, there were abuses to this too such as the Catharist convert Robert le Bougre who, after a week-long trial, burned 180 people on May 29, 1239[7]. Rome was informed of this atrocity and imprisoned him for life.

Spanish Inquisition

On the first of November in the year 1478[8], Pope Sixtus IV allowed Catholic sovereigns to set up the Inquisition in their nations with the requirement that appointed inquisitors must be 40 years of age, of impeccable reputation, outstanding in virtue, masters of Theology and Canon Law, and obedient to Church rules and regulations. The Procedure of Inquisition would be the same as described above for the Medieval Inquisition. The Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella appointed the infamous Dominicans Miguel de Morillow and Juan de San Martin as Inquisitors. They were horrible Inquisitors and on January 29, 1482[9] Pope Sixtus blamed them for unjust imprisonment and cruel torture and declared them to be false believers.

Overview

The Inquisition was not as horrible as popular thought tends to hold it, it was more human in many ways than the secular juries at the time and it even introduced more human trial procedures. In no way was it a grand-scale Church-supported cruel witch-hunt or holocaust in which millions died. In no way does this excuse the deaths, abuses, and injustice that did occur at the hands of individual Inquisitors and under the pressure of Secular powers. It must be looked at in perspective for what it was without forgetting or blowing the wrongs out of proportion. So, I encourage those who use the Inquisition to attack the Church, or doubt it’s mission and truth, to look at the history and facts before passing judgment or making bold claims. I encourage Catholics to look at the history and facts and accept the fact that the Church is made of sinners and wrongs are inevitable but realize that no quantity of individual sins will defeat the Church whom Christ promised the powers of hell would never destroy.

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[1] John Vidmar, The Catholic Church through the ages: a history (New York: Paulist Press, 2014), 148.

[2] John Vidmar, The Catholic Church through the ages: a history (New York: Paulist Press, 2014), 148.

[3] SALOMONS, CAROLYN. 2017. "A Church United in Itself: Hernando de Talavera and the Religious Culture of Fifteenth-Century Castile." Catholic Historical Review104, no. 4: 639-662. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed March 4, 2018).

[4] Innocentius IV. "Ad Extirpanda." Documenta Catholica Omnia. Accessed March 6, 2018. http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/01p/1252-05-15,_SS_Innocentius_IV,_Bulla_'Ad_Extirpanda',_EN.pdf.

[5] "Inquisition." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Inquisition. Accessed March 06, 2018. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm.

[6] "Inquisition." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Inquisition. Accessed March 06, 2018. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm.

[7] "Inquisition." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Inquisition. Accessed March 06, 2018. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm.

[8] "Inquisition." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Inquisition. Accessed March 06, 2018. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm.

[9] "Inquisition." CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Inquisition. Accessed March 06, 2018. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08026a.htm.

Image Sources (in order):
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http://michelleheaton.info/inquisition-paintings/others-spanish-inquisition-painting-spanish-inquisition-print-inquisition-paintings/
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