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The Inquisition: Around 1232 CE, the Church started a new program. It was a court system called The Inquisition. This court was staffed with church officials who were supposed to seek out and punish people suspected of not obeying the church. 

Heresy is any act or action against the church or church beliefs. A heretic is someone who commits an act of heresy. The church officials assigned to the court of Inquisition were assigned the job of tracking down heretics.

Once tracked down, if a heretic confessed, they were punished. Punishment was quite severe. Punishment ranged from loss of property, to imprisonment, to death. If a heretic did not confess, they were tortured until they did confess. There was no escape. According to the Church, these punishments were necessary to save the souls of heretics. 

It was an awful time. The court of Inquisition was open to great abuse. 

The Power of the Church: Examples of the power of the church includes the flow of wealth, the use of sacraments to control people and their lives, the use of Church councils, the propaganda value of the religious beggars (friars), and finally, the horrible cruelty of the Inquisition and the fear it generated.