What was the papal inquisition all about?
Although early Christians experienced heavy persecution, by the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had significant religious and political power in Europe. To maintain its authority, the Church suppressed heretics. The Church had a very specific definition of heresy: A heretic publicly declared his beliefs (based upon what the Church considered inaccurate interpretations of the Bible) and refused to denounce them, even after being corrected by the authority. He also tried to teach his beliefs to other people. He had to be doing these things by his own free will, not under the influence of the devil. Time Life Pictures/Mansell/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images Composite engraving from Dr. Southwell’s “New Book of Martyrs,” showing tortures of the Spanish Inquisition The Inquisition officially began with Pope Gregory XI (the Papal Inquisition). In 1231, he issued a bull, or decree, that set up a tribunal court system to try heretics and punish them. He chose the Dominican Order, known for be
