Ad abolendam

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Ad Abolendam is a decretal promulgated in November 1184 . It was written after the Council of Verona and is the result of a legal agreement between Pope Lucius III. and Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa . The document was one of the earliest papal measures to combat heretics and is therefore one of the most important steps in the formation of the Inquisition . As X 5.7.9 it was adopted in the Liber Extra .

The decretals formulated a condemnation of all heretical sects and persons who preached unjustifiably in public or private. The verdict for this was "permanent church ban". As mentioned by name heretic groups appear in ad abolendam the Cathars , the Humiliati , the Waldensian , the Arnoldists that Passaginer and Josephiner. The excommunication should, however, also affect all those who supported the heretics.

Furthermore, heretics , if they did not admit their errors and publicly renounced it, or if they relapsed again, should be handed over to the secular arm for “due punishment - animadversio debita”. In addition, all supporters of the heretics fell victim to the verdict of infamy , dishonor, and thus lost their ability to exercise public offices, as well as their ability to judge, testamentary and inherit.

Furthermore, all patriarchs , archbishops and bishops were obliged by the decretals to announce the aforementioned imposition of the excommunication again on certain festivals and special occasions. Anyone who neglected this was relieved of episcopal dignity and exercise of office for three years.

It is also important to mention the papal provisions on “tracking down” heretics: all bishops should visit suspicious parishes two to three times a year. Three or more people of good repute , including the entire neighborhood if necessary, were sworn to report suspects to the bishop. Those reported had then - as a rule - free themselves from suspicion of heretics by taking a so-called cleaning oath. Anyone who refused to oath was considered a heretic.

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literature

  • Peter Segl [Ed.]: Bayreuth Historical Colloquia. The beginnings of the Inquisition in the Middle Ages. With an outlook on the 20th century and a contribution on religious intolerance in the non-Christian area , Vol. 7, Böhlau, Cologne 1993, ISBN 3412033928
  • Gerd Schwerhoff: The Inquisition. Persecution of heretics in the Middle Ages and Modern Times , Beck, Munich 2004, ISBN 3-406-50840-5
  • Henry Charles Lea : History of the Inquisition in the Middle Ages. Origin and Organization of the Inquisition, Vol. 1 , Bonn 1905.