The Martyrdom of John Huss

[Juxtaposer]

Anybody ever heard of this? It’s really rather disturbing.

johnhuss.org/martyrdom/index.html

 

[Irish_Melkite]

Juxtaposer:

It’s really rather disturbing

It was not the Church’s finest hour, as HH John Paul II acknowledged on 12/17/1999.

Pope Expresses Regret for Death of Jan Hus

VATICAN (CWNews.com) – Pope John Paul II (bio - news) has expressed his “profound regret” over the “cruel death” of Jan Hus, a Czech theologian who was condemned to death by the Council of Constance in 1415.

The Pope made his remarks while addressing participants in an international congress on Hus, organized by the Lateran University in conjunction with the Vatican’s central committee for the Jubilee and the Czech bishops’ conference.

“On the eve of the great Jubilee, I feel the need to express a profound regret for the cruel death inflicted on Jan Hus and the consequent wound, the source of conflicts and divisions, which were opened in the spirits and the hearts of the Bohemian people,” the Pope said. He paid tribute to the “moral courage” of Hus, who was burned at the stake by the German emperor after he had been declared a heretic. That execution prompted a rebellion by the people of Bohemia against their German rulers, and a split within the Church, with many followers of Hus later joining ranks with Lutheran reformers.

The Holy Father said that the current reconsideration of past events such as the condemnation of Hus should give rise to “decisive steps” to repair the unity among Christians. If Jan Hus was once a focus for division, he added, today he can become a focus “dialogue, rapprochement, and a deeper communion.”

Many years,

Neil

 

[Fidelis]

I have not heard of these specific circumstances involving Jan Hus, but if true are not surprising considering the tenor of the times. Catholic martyrs suffered similar (and worse) fates at the hands of Protestant persecutors. For example:

newadvent.org/cathen/05474a.htm

The examples could be multiplied, but what does it prove? Only that all Christians are sinners and that we have often failed (some worse than others) in our callings by inflicting cruelty upon each other in God’s name.

 

[Irish_Melkite]

Fidelis:

I have not heard of these specific circumstances involving Jan Hus, but if true are not surprising considering the tenor of the times. Catholic martyrs suffered similar (and worse) fates at the hands of Protestant persecutors.

Fidelis,

The circumstances, while perhaps editorialized a bit in the piece to which Juxta linked, are essentially an historically accurate description of the circumstances of Hus’ martyrdom.

You should have ended with “tenor of the times.” The following sentence smacks of “they did it too!”. That’s an attitude that you seem to reject in your closing paragraph, but a lot of folks won’t read that far and will seize on the idea that “they did it too” and (sometimes) “worse” and conclude that this gives us Catholics the moral high ground, or at least provides retrospective justification. It doesn’t.

Many years,

Neil

 

[Fidelis]

I think my post is short enough and clear enough that others won’t have trouble reading the whole thing, including my point that all Christians are fallible, including Catholics. There’s nothing wrong with pointing out the “they did it too” facts if it helps put the entire topic into context. Point being: the aftermath of the Reformation was a nasty time for all concerned, and no one comes out smelling like a rose.

Thanks for giving me the chance to clarify.

 

[Maccabees]

Yeah the Catholic Church was guilty of Intolerance 600 Years AGO!

Look the catholic church well any church is made of sinners and can be guilty of of the sins of man. She is made holy her founder Christ and holy by the gifts that she gives to the world but perfection of all her members is not one of her gifts.

During the Reformation these same things were done to us by Protestants. Man’s inhumanity to man knows no denominational bounds as this website would lead you to believe.
The Catholic Church after Trent has been one of the greatest procurators of human rights and the dignity of the human person her tolerance to all relgions and races and ethnicity is far beyond any other religious insitution the past 400 years. We seek forgivenss of those passed long ago who have used the Catholic name and relgion to justify intolerance it happened and is nothing to be proud of but that is in no way unique to that time of intolerance that most of the world had for each other.

 

[Todd_Easton]

Attitudes have changed considerably in the Church regarding the treatment of heretics so that the Church is now completely against anyone being put to death for his religious beliefs. However, in those days, John Hus was an unrepentant heretic and in Christendom, where Church and State were united, religious heresy was tantamount to the civil crime of treason. Lest we think we are so much superior to them, we should remember that it was only 51 years ago that Americans Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and executed in the United States for treason in peacetime.

 

[Faithful_2_Rome]

People shouldnt get defensive and angered when someone who is pro church brings up its past sins…I dont believe in covering ANYTHING up for ANYONE…including the Church…look at the current mess NOW because of those who wished to do so…by bringing these things up and out…is required if only for the fact that those who are enemies of the church…ex catholic as well as non catholics will more than likely have MORE past knowledge of our churchs faults than WE DO…look at some of the threads created here by Catholics who get chewed up by non catholics at other sites and then come here to ask for help, simply cause the non-ers KNEW of our past(even if their knowledge is skewed) while those catholics did not…it can only help us in reasonably explaining the why of those times and pointing to Councils, Writings etc…that have since spoke of atoning for those sins.

 

[Fidelis]

That is exactly my point from the posts above–Give both sides of the story to be able to present a balanced view of the issue (is that clear enough? Sheesh.)

If all a person ever reads is Foxe’s Book of Martyrs and never hears about the Catholic English martyrs or John Calvin’s Geneva, what kind of conclusions can you expect them to draw. Don’t hide or minimize or sugarcoat either perspective, or have a “your sins are bigger than mine” debate.Providing context and balance is not being defensive. It is necessary to having a meaningful discussion.

 

[mercygate]

To my mind, one of the best things about being a Convert is that I cannot be shocked by any of this.

We Converts KNOW the horrible history of the Church, the bad Popes, the scandals. But we see that in eternity, the Beauty and Truth of the Church overarch all the sin. Sinners, like the poor, will be always with us: wheat and tares together until the Bridgroom comes to take us to himself.