Why do Popes now don't allow the Torture of Heretics anymore?

Question

What happened? Why the Change?

"carl": Yeah, but isn't that whats expected from "Protestant Heretics"?

Who would expect the so called "One, Holy, Apostolic Infallible Mother Church" to do this very Un-Christian thing.

Answer 1

No more torture because it's better to go after people who can't fight back.

Answer 2

Because that civil practice taken from Roman Law and practiced by the Protestant governments against their heretics(like Catholics and Anabaptists) is contrary to Catholic ethics and Apostolic Tradition and the Sermon on the Mount.

The Pope has apologized fro the stupidities and persecutions of the past. When will the Protestants and Atheists and Muslims do the same? Let us all join in comdemning religious or antireligious violence,oppression and persecution.

Answer 3

Because it would be videoed and emailed around the world and put on web sites like YouTube and the poor old Pope would really be in the doo-doo.

Actually heretics still get tortured but the Pope these days is more enlightened and doesn't agree with it.

Answer 4

Hello,

From the context of those times Church and states were intertwined. Heresy in those times was as a clear and present danger to those societies as communism and Islamic Fundementalism is in our time.

Now the job of interrigation and torture has long left the Papal states and has be given to the American administration in Guantonimo Bay etc.

Cheers,

Michael Kelly

Answer 5

Because people started insisting on having human rights for themselves and others. Also happened that some enlightened types began realizing that not everyone was going to believe in the same thing they did and they've have to wipe out half the world if they persisted.

Answer 6

If you do honest research into the Spanish Inquisition, you will see that the Pope ended the Inquisition when he learned the Spanisk king was torturing people.

Answer 7

Excuse me DougL: Torture
IS STILL BEING DONE TODAY, and by our own
American government. It is
done in secret prisons around
the world. They "say" the
torture they do is approved
by psychiatrists, so it's Ok.
I really don't feel any kind of
torture is ok, approved or not
approved.

Answer 8

Torture was a common and accepted practice at other times in history. Today, civilized people don't do that.

Answer 9

For the same reason we do not allow other things that are allowed in the Bible like slavery and the death penalty for sex outside of marriage (adultery and fornication).

The Holy Spirit is guiding us to a more and more perfect faith. This is called Holy Tradition.

+ Torture +

For the record, today The Catholic Church teaches against torture and is actively trying to stop torture:

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity.

Pope John Paul II on June 27, 2004: Pope: Torture is 'intolerable' violation of human rights: http://www.the-tidings.com/2004/0702/torture.htm and http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=30476

Pope Benedict XVI on December 13, 2005: Pope says torture shouldn't be used against terror: http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2005-12-13-pope_x.htm and http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/content/news_syndication/article_051213torture.shtml

US Conference of Catholic Bishops: Urge Senate and House Conferees to Reject Torture: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/landminestorture.shtml

http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt2art5.htm#2297

+ Apostolic Tradition +

I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. (John 16:12-13)

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

We instruct you, brothers, in the name of (our) Lord Jesus Christ,to shun any brother who conducts himself in a disorderly way and not according to the tradition they received from us. (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you. (1 Corinthians 11:2)

The Catholic Church does not use Holy Scripture as the only basis of doctrine. It could not. The early Catholic church existed before and during the time that the New Testament was written (by Catholics).

There were hundreds of Christian writings during the first and second centuries. Which New Testament writings would become official was not fully decided until about 400 C.E.

Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding the early church (and is guiding the church today) to make the correct choices about things like:
+ The Holy Trinity (which is also only hinted at in the Bible)
+ Going to church on Sunday instead of Saturday (which is actually directly against one of the Ten Commandments)
+ The Communion of Saints
+ Which writings include in the New Testament?

Things that are even more modern like
+ Slavery is bad. Slavery is never declared evil in the Bible. This was one of the justifications for slavery in the Confederate States.
+ Democracy is good. The Bible states that either God should be the leader of the nation like Israel before the kings or kings should be the leader, "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's." This was talked about a lot during the American Revolution.

This second source of doctrine is called Apostolic Tradition.

Do Christians who do not allow the continuing guiding force of the Holy Spirit to make their beliefs more and more perfect, still endorse slavery as Colossians 3:22 commands, "Slaves, obey your human masters in everything"?

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1sect1chpt2.htm#80

With love in Christ.

Answer 10

Because they realized just how un-Christian torture really was.