The Inquisition and Burning of Heretics

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TradionalWay said:
Such a pitty, would be nice to see a heretic burn, remind the people who is in charge… So how does a priest join this group?
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I wouldn’t want to see a heretic burn but maybe some stocks in the town square where we could all throw some rotten fruits and vegetables.

 
Among the errors of Martin Luther condemned by Pope Leo X in Exsurge Domine:
That heretics be burned is against the will of the Spirit.
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Since that is error, we know it is neither barbarism, nor against the will of the Spirit to burn a heretic.

– Nicole
 
yablabo said:
Among the errors of Martin Luther condemned by Pope Leo X in Exsurge Domine:

Since that is error, we know it is neither barbarism, nor against the will of the Spirit to burn a heretic.

– Nicole
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Oh really? But for the grace of God, any of us can be tempted and fall. I’d let God deal with any burning that’s to be done.
 
yablabo said:
Among the errors of Martin Luther condemned by Pope Leo X in Exsurge Domine:

Since that is error, we know it is neither barbarism, nor against the will of the Spirit to burn a heretic.

– Nicole
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Does that imply that the Church is in favor of burning heretics?

That doesn’t make the Church look good, for sure. Is Exsurge Domine an infallible document with infallible teachings?
 
Ok, someone tell me if I’m understanding this correctly. Does this quote below from Exsurge Domine mean that the Church ordered the burning of Luther’s followers, or the burning of Luther’s teaching documents:
Moreover, because the preceding errors and many others are contained in the books or writings of Martin Luther, we likewise condemn, reprobate, and reject completely the books and all the writings and sermons of the said Martin, whether in Latin or any other language, containing the said errors or any one of them; and we wish them to be regarded as utterly condemned, reprobated, and rejected. We forbid each and every one of the faithful of either sex, in virtue of holy obedience and under the above penalties to be incurred automatically, to read, assert, preach, praise, print, publish, or defend them. They will incur these penalties if they presume to uphold them in any way, personally or through another or others, directly or indirectly, tacitly or explicitly, publicly or occultly, either in their own homes or in other public or private places. Indeed immediately after the publication of this letter these works, wherever they may be, shall be sought out carefully by the ordinaries and others [ecclesiastics and regulars], and under each and every one of the above penalties shall be burned publicly and solemnly in the presence of the clerics and people.
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The whole encyclical is here: papalencyclicals.net/Leo10/l10exdom.htm

Is this encyclical an infallible teaching of the Church regarding faith and morals?
 
I have no source for this now but rememebr reading something that burning a heretic was also a way of saving their soul. That suffering would possibly lead them to repent and die in peace, something like that. I wish I could rememeber where I read that. Has anyone heard of this theory?
 
It was a different time then, England use to have all of that at London Bridge, torture chambers, who knows what the Romans did in foreign lands, the Vikings from Denmark attacked England. Even modern war has some horrific casualties.

Let’s not forget that Luther had some very anti-semitic writings as well.
 
Contra_Mundum said:
I have no source for this now but rememebr reading something that burning a heretic was also a way of saving their soul. That suffering would possibly lead them to repent and die in peace, something like that. I wish I could rememeber where I read that. Has anyone heard of this theory?
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It’s true that burning a relapsed heretic was done as a medicinal sentence. I’ve heard it generally stated that it’s a temporal punishment done in the hopes that the person will, in his pain, throw himself on the mercy of Christ, finally renounce his heresy, and return back into the bosom of Catholic unity.

– Nicole
 
yablabo said:
It’s true that burning a relapsed heretic was done as a medicinal sentence. I’ve heard it generally stated that it’s a temporal punishment done in the hopes that the person will, in his pain, throw himself on the mercy of Christ, finally renounce his heresy, and return back into the bosom of Catholic unity.

– Nicole
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Wow. I don’t even know what to say. I really hope this was a discipline - a misguided one and not infallible teaching.

Of course if you’re burning, you’ll throw yourself on the mercy of Christ. No free will there.
 
yablabo said:
It’s true that burning a relapsed heretic was done as a medicinal sentence. I’ve heard it generally stated that it’s a temporal punishment done in the hopes that the person will, in his pain, throw himself on the mercy of Christ, finally renounce his heresy, and return back into the bosom of Catholic unity.

– Nicole
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Yes, that’s how it was defined I think. Back in the day the soul and its salvation was valued above other things, so it makes sense that would be the attitude.
 
Rence said:
Ok, someone tell me if I’m understanding this correctly. Does this quote below from Exsurge Domine mean that the Church ordered the burning of Luther’s followers, or the burning of Luther’s teaching documents:

The whole encyclical is here: papalencyclicals.net/Leo10/l10exdom.htm

Is this encyclical an infallible teaching of the Church regarding faith and morals?
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It’s referring to the careful collection and destruction of the documents, not the people.

Whether the Bull Exsurge Domine contains solemn judgments or not will have to be discerned by whether the Pope exercised his infallible magisterium using the criteria laid out in the First Vatican Council.

The part you quoted looks like it is binding upon religious assent, which is by the Pope’s ordinary magisterium, not his infallible magisterium. That doesn’t mean that one can dissent if one likes, that means if one dissents without good reason (i.e., the article contradicts a solemn judgment) one is committing mortal sin…and that if one dies in that state, after one’s particular judgment, one goes to hell.

– Nicole
 
Yeah but there is no merit in agreeing to be Catholic, and renouncing Lutheranism (or any other religion), while being burned at the stake…how can one’s soul be saved in that way? It’s not a free choice in that way.
 
So, could a heretic generally denounce his beliefs and not have to go through this?

What about St. Joan of Arc?

Also, let’s not forget, a lot of this ‘might’ have been royalty or other people with scores to settle. Not always the church, there are plenty of books on this subject.
 
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