|
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.
To return to the index,
click
on the castle
|