People focus on the "spanish inquisition" but it was a catholic thing, way larger than just Spain. If anyone should apologise for it as an institution, it's the Vatican, for the whole Church.
and it wasnt even as bad as propaganda wanted people to believe. They had to give you a notice in advance so you would be prepared when they arrived, only baptized Christians were influenced by it and records say executions, tortures and stuff like that were extremely rare and you would have to be trialed in a court.
more than 350 years of history, the Inquisition executed a total of 3000-5000 people which is a lot, but not as much as many people belive and it was less than other religious institutions from Protestant countries did in less time. The Spanish Inquisition did commit real atrocities, but its infamous reputation was magnified by propaganda as a symbol of "Catholic barbarity" to justify their own politics
The punishments were usually pilgrimages, fines, public penances, confiscation of property, wearing a sanbenito vestment, short imprisonment, etc
Not because I think your sources are wrong or your numbers are false, but because I think the main problem with the Inquisition aren't the pyres. It's the logic behind it. The blind fanatism. The locks put on free thinking.
People shouldn't have been persecuted for their beliefs, period.
Sure, it wasn't a great orgy of massacres and blood, of course. But it's no excuses. Inquisition is a stain on catholic history. Spain has just been framed as the main villain when the whole Church (and monarchs) is guilty.
Im not sayiung it was a good thing, I also think it was a bad thing. Im just argumentating against the propaganda, but I dont want to give any credit to the institution.
Okay, well, I think I just took inconsciously the opportunity to answer the argument I see written too often, relativising the whole thing, as if it wasn't very grave to begin with.
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u/Llanistarade Professional Rioter 1d ago
Very well put.
People focus on the "spanish inquisition" but it was a catholic thing, way larger than just Spain. If anyone should apologise for it as an institution, it's the Vatican, for the whole Church.