"The pope made his request in a letter read out at a news conference on a new book on the Inquisition.
He repeated a phrase from a 2000 document in which he first asked pardon 'for errors committed in the service of truth through use of methods that had nothing to do with the Gospel.'
That was shorthand for torture, summary trials, forced conversions and burnings at the stake.
But in the letter, the pope went further, saying the request for forgiveness was for 'both the dramas connected to the Inquisition as well as for the wounds to the (collective) memory that followed.'"
This was listed in the "Offbeat News" section at Netscape. I'm sure lots of people think of it that way. Lots of people think of modern day witches as quirky, nutty, societal misfits. New Age, crystal wearing, tree huggin' kooks out of touch with reality. And some of us probably are. In fact, most of us at one time or another actually are. Part of the meditation and ritual of Wicca is to bring your mind to an altered plane more in tune with the gods.
But. I think this apology is important. It in no way says that the church accepts or even acknowledges witches. But at least it says that witches, or people who were accused of being witches were and are people. And that they were treated badly. And that the church was wrong. I find that very hopeful.
Joel included the Burning Times in his series on Martyrdom. At the time it felt kind of wrong to see the people who died during those times as Martyrs. Some of them may have been. Some of them may have actually been witches who died for their faith. But I think for the most part they were just poor suckers who got caught up in the murderous frenzy of christian zealots trying to take over the world through any means necessary. Why I as a witch remember and revere the Burning Times isn't so much for those who died as for why they died. And how they died. They didn't die for their own faith and beliefs, they died because of someone else's. They were inconveniences, weeds in the perfect lawn of humanity being groomed by Rome. Convert or die. Or in most cases convert AND die:
Those heretics and witches who repented at the last minute were first strangled to death and their bodies burned. "It was considered a less agonizing way to die," he said.
I have said before that the Burning Times are coming back. I felt it from the time Bush took office and when the Mel Gibson movie came out the feeling got stronger. But I don't think it will be fire this time. I think it will be more subtle. And I think it starts with the church insinuating itself into the political process again.
at 10:59 AM :: ~#~
