Persecution Of Protestants

[Donna]

To clarify:

The Church would've had no need to begin the Inquisition if not for apostate Catholics.

[ICTHUS]

Those responsible for the Inquisition were apostate Catholics.

Icthus, please cite a specific example.

Thomas Cranmer and other Protestants were burned at the stake during the reign of Bloody Mary, a Catholic.

[jmjtina]

http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?s...&hl=inquisition

thanks likos and cmom for the links.

B)

also:

Catholic Answers

[BLAZEr]

Thomas Cranmer and other Protestants were burned at the stake during the reign of Bloody Mary, a Catholic.

This is more what I thought you were referring to. This topic of the Church's role in the death of protestants is very difficult to explain.

First of all, the Church never killed nor ordered the killing of anyone. Only the State could do that. It was important to the state for the Church to investigate who was and wasn't a heretic because heresy did not only affect the Church is also affected the Common good, which kings and queens were responsible for. Just like today where we see politics corrupt those who practice the faith, the same was true in history. Usually a certain heresy started among a small group of political dissidents. This is true of the Albigensians, Morovians, Hussites, and the Jansenists and other heretical groups. They wanted to de-establish the authority of their ruler, they needed a reason, so they abused religion to do so.

However, on the other side, political authorities did similar things to promote their power with the church.

The case of Mary I, is quite different. She was trying to re-establish the Church following a severe persecution of Catholics. She repealed the anti-catholic laws and tried to return property that was stolen from the Catholic Church, but met firce opposition. As is true with anyone in open rebellion of the Crown, they lost their heads. This included people like Thomas Cranmer, the apostate archbishop of Canterbury.

Mary I (1553-1558 AD)

Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, was born in 1516 and suffered through a terrible childhood of neglect, intolerance, and ill-health. She was a staunch catholic from birth, constantly resisting pressure from others to renounce her faith, a request she steadfastly refused. She married Philip II of Spain in 1555, but was unable to produce a child.

Mary began her tumultuous reign at 37 years of age, arriving in London amid a scene of great rejoicing. Following the disarray created by Edward VI's passing of the succession to Lady Jane Grey (Jane lasted only nine days), Mary's first act was to repeal the Protestant legislation of her brother, Edward VI, hurling England into a phase of severe religious persecution. Her major goal was the re-establishment of Catholicism in England, a goal to which she was totally committed. Persecution came more from a desire for purity in faith than from vengeance, yet the fact remains that nearly 300 people (including former Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer and many of the most prominent members of society) were burned at the stake for heresy, earning Mary the nickname, "Bloody Mary."

Mary's marriage to the militant Catholic Philip was again designed to enforce Roman Catholicism on the realm. Unfortunately for Mary, two factors compelled opposition to her plans: the English people hated foreigners - especially the Spanish - and twenty years of Protestantism had soured the English on popery. She met with resistance at every level of society, and, unlike her father and brother, failed to conform society into one ideological pattern. Philip II, cold and indifferent to both Mary and her realm, remained in England for only a short time. He coerced Mary to enter into war with France, resulting in defeat and the loss of the last English continental possession, Calais. With the retirement of his father, Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, Philip returned to Spain; Mary died a mere ten months later.

England suffered during the reign of Mary I: the economy was in ruin, religious dissent reached a zenith and England lost her last continental territory. Jane Austen wrote this rather scathing commentary about Mary: "This woman had the good luck of being advanced to the throne of England, in spite of the superior pretensions, Merit and Beauty of her Cousins Mary Queen of Scotland and Jane Grey. Nor can I pity the Kingdom for the misfortunes they experienced during her reign, since they fully deserved them..."

[Ellenita]

It is impossible to accurately know the level of persecution of protestants under Mary I. The state and religion were completely interlinked and the court was rife with political intrigue which was formed along religious lines, and of course there was no democracy in the land - the King or Queen was absolute ruler, so people close to the court lived precarious lives. Mary was badly advised politically in her marriage to Phillip of Spain, which weakened her rule, a lesson her sister Elizabeth I learnt in her rather more wise choice of advisers who were more politically astute. Sadly I also think Mary Queen of Scots, who has always had my every sympathy, was also surrounded by bad political advisers. The political 'spin' in Elizabeth's reign would have ensured that Mary appeared more bloody than she probably was!