By RAYMOND DE SOUZA, KM
Part 51
In order to properly understand the historical event called the “Inquisition,” a basic, primary distinction must be made: There were three distinct inquisition tribunals in history: the Medieval Inquisition, the Roman Inquisition, and the Spanish Inquisition. Let us consider them, one by one, as their circumstances and historical contexts were very different.
The Medieval Inquisition: If you think that the ISIS so-called “caliphate” terrorist upsurge in the Middle East is a novelty in history, whereby a large sectarian movement takes hold of land and cities and attempts to set up a state within a state, you would be mistaken.
It has happened before, in the 12th and 13th centuries. In areas of Southern Europe, especially France, the Cathari, and the Albigensians made their appearance. They were nearly as radical as today’s Muslim terrorists of ISIS: They attacked the Catholic clergy (remember, in those happier days there were just one Church, one Lord, and one faith — the one Roman Catholic Church, founded by Jesus Christ. Protestantism and other “isms” were invented centuries later — but I digress).
Yes, they attacked the clergy, destroyed churches and monasteries, caused many to die for the faith — martyrs — and the like. They introduced birth control in a weird way by opposing childbearing as a curse, introduced immoral practices such as concubinage, euthanasia, and a so-called “religious” suicide by starvation. As they wanted to form a state within the state, they encouraged revolt against the civil government. They regarded themselves as exempt from taxes and were not bound by allegiance to anyone except their own members.
The result: The whole fabric of society, then a Catholic society, was threatened with serious disruption, both within Church and state.
I ask the reader: If you lived in those days, what would you suggest that the Church and the state do? Let members of the “medieval ISIS” do as they pleased? Try to hold a “positive dialogue” with them? Or defend both the country and the Church from that destructive murderous threat?
There was no such soul-searching needed: The Church, then united with the state for the promotion of the common good, established the tribunal of the Inquisition — to make inquiries; that is why it got its name — to investigate the charges of heresy.
Remember: A heresy in those days had profound socio-economic-political consequences: It was not like the founding of just another little Baptist church in the neighborhood; it was a threat to the stability and well-being of the nation as such. We must understand the historical context of the time.
It was around the year of our Lord 1232. The Preaching Order of the Dominicans — St. Dominic of Guzman, who received the rosary from our Lady, was himself an inquisitor — and the Franciscans — founded by the great St. Francis of Assisi — were given the task of investigating the new heresy of the Cathari and the Albigensians.
Our response to ISIS today is a lot more severe — and rightly so — than the Medieval Inquisition. The latter’s purpose was more often than not corrective. If the heretic recanted his error and became reconciled with the true Church and gave up his plan to form a state within the state, he would be given a penance, often a light one, like a fast or a pilgrimage.
If the heretic remained obdurate and insisted on continuing his attempt to disrupt Church and state, he would be pronounced guilty by the Church and handed over to the state for punishment.
Now it meant real trouble, to fall into the hands of the state, as kings did not look kindly upon a heresy that wanted to make a state within their state.
The state would pass sentence and the punishment would be a good deal of flogging, imprisonment, temporary or perpetual, confiscation of property, and sometimes death.
The fact is that, officially, the Church never condemned anyone to death — the state did. But it is true and good that the Church accepted the repression of the heresy by the state, since it posed not only a serious danger to society but especially a danger for the salvation of souls, which is the first and foremost mission of the Church. The Medieval Inquisition continued intermittently until the 16th century.
The Roman Inquisition: In the Year of Our Lord 1542, Pope Paul III established a tribunal in Rome to organize and coordinate the work of the several small tribunals in the Italian states. Again, let us bear in mind the historical context: Italy was not n unified country as it is today. The unification of the Italian peninsula took place in the second half of the 19th century.
When the Roman Inquisition was established, there were many small states in the peninsula, such as the Papal States, two independent republics, two independent kingdoms, two kingdoms dependent on the Austrian Empire, one grand duchy, four duchies, and one principality. Now imagine the risk of confusion with having so many mini-tribunals run by a variety of Italians (the last idea is a joke, of course). So it became necessary to set up a central tribunal in Rome to coordinate the operations and also to establish a court of appeal for cases of heresy — that would also help prevent abuses.
In time it changed its name to the Tribunal of the Holy Office, and more recently to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, of which Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who was elected Pope with the name of Benedict XVI, was the prefect for many years prior to his election to the papacy.
This tribunal, office, congregation — whichever name is chosen to give it — is a most necessary institution, especially in our days, where there are all sorts of heresies and sects that threaten the purity of the faith in the Church — even heresies inside the Church are at work. It is a duty of the Church is to defend her children from error. The Roman Inquisition did its job at its time in the cultural atmosphere of the time.
As in every single human institution, there were abuses, although immensely less frequent than in the courts of law of today — especially Supreme Courts who dare to legislate against human nature!
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(Raymond de Souza is an EWTN program host; regional coordinator for Portuguese-speaking countries for Human Life International [HLI]; president of the Sacred Heart Institute, and a member of the Sovereign, Military, and Hospitaller Order of the Knights of Malta. His website is: www.RaymonddeSouza.com.)
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