Vatican Symposium Examines Inquisition

In an effort to take a hard look at its past while preparing for the future, the Vatican has opened a symposium on one of its most criticized historical chapters--the Inquisition.

“The church cannot cross the threshold of the new millennium without pressing its children to purify themselves in repentance for their errors, infidelity, incoherence and slowness,” Cardinal Roger Etchegaray said in his opening remarks.

Roots of the Inquisition, which was aimed at rooting out heresy, go back as far as 1215. The most famous period, the Spanish Inquisition, was begun in 1479 by Spanish monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand. The Roman Inquisition, set up in 1542, is best remembered for its Index of Forbidden Books, which was in force for Catholics until its abolition in 1966.