Inquisition

AD
1230	Founded by Pope Gregory IX to root out heresy.
1478	Spanish Inquisition founded by Pope Sixtus IV at the request of Ferdinand and Isabella.
1542	Pope Paul III founded the Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition.
1908	Sacred Congregation of the Universal Inquisition renamed the Holy Office.
1965	Holy Office renamed Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Purpose: "to guarantee the correct teaching of faith and morals."

Use of Torture

The Catholicism Answer Book, p. 285.

The painful extraction of confessions only occurred after a church tribunal had enough proof and evidence tha tthe accused were in fact guilty. If they admitted or confessed their crime, they would be given a modest punishment. If they obstinately refused to admit their guilt despite witness testimony and corroborating evidence, then torture was used to get the truth out of them.

While today we would see this as cruel and inhumane, the Medieval concept was that the salvation of souls was in jeopardy. If heretics died unrepentant, they were considered damned for eternity. If they confessed and repented, they would be absolved and would save their souls from hell. ... So torture was seen as a last-resort medicinal means to get the guilty to confess and, thus, to save their souls. ...

The trial was ecclesiastical and under the direction of religious orders, but the actual capital punishment and most of the torture occurred at the hands of civil authorities under authority of the emperor, of the king, or of the local prince, baron, etc.

Torture was no longer used by the Inquisition after the Council of Trent (1545-1563).

Links

• "The Truth About the Spanish Inquisition."