“The principle of the Inquisition was murderous … The popes were not only murderers in the great style, but they also made murder a legal basis of the Roman Church and a condition for salvation”.
Lord Acton (1834-1902) .
In 1184 Pope Lucius III and the Emperor Frederick formulated a programme for the repression of so called heretics. This document, Ad abolendum, is sometimes known as the charter of the Inquisition, because it set the tone for future developments. The Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 ordered all bishops to hold an annual inquisition, if there was a suspicion of heresy in their See. But these Episcopal inquisitions were found to be inadequate for the task. More to follow…
