Is punishing heresy wrong?

[oldcelt]

Wasn’t it Pope Innocent Iii that called for the crusade against the Cathars?

So the church didn’t approve of the Cathar slaughter?

Is anyone really going to claim punishing “heretics” by violence and death was against the wishes of the church?

Isn’t saying “the church didn’t approve of punishments”. Similar to hiring a contract killer and claiming " I didn’t kill any one, it was the killer!"?

The church was the power behind governments of medieval Europe. IF THE CHURCH WAS AGAINST PUNISHING “HERTICS” with pain and death, why weren’t those who commuted the violence dealt with BY the church?

You have it Publisher. There is a lot of revisionist history around attempting to minimalize the involvement of the Church. Unfortunately, the Church was in this up to its neck. What eventually ended it was the Reformation and pluralistic societies.

 

[tttsssfff]

There is nothing wrong with excommunicating someone who is preaching a heresy. But there is something wrong with using force or coercion to stop someone from preaching said heresy.