Pope Gregory XII (Latin: Gregorius XII; Italian: Gregorio XII; c. 1327 - 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario, or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. Dog lovers, please get over it. Pope Gregory IX, who held the papacy from 1227 to 1241, most definitely fell in the second camp largely because he believed that the fluffy hairball-hackers embodied Lucifer himself. (2016, May 4). Actually, the murder of cats in Europe continued for hundreds of years, and another Plague swept through Europe again in the 17th Century. The Nazcacat geoglyphwas only discovered last October. The people of the time may have felt that this was the end of days, but the wake of the plague was nothing but an opportunity for survivors. A witch riding a broomstick with a black cat. This isa cautionary tale to all you cat haters out there. Indeed, there is evidence of animals dying from the Plague. (Accessed May 31, 2018). Before you accuse me of clickbait, hear me out. Share this article your friends will love it too! Wierd Tales, Vol 36. Further down the line, his influence grew larger and larger, and by 1217 he was named the papal legate and Honorius chief representative in Liguria and Tuscany. Did Pope Gregorys comfort with the law cause him tooverstephis station as the pope? A quick Internet search brings up a series of articles, including one on the 13 reasons why cats are just plain evil. The mass killing of those docile beautiful creatures is despicable. Interesly, June 7, 2016, The spooky history of how cats bewitched us, Abigail Tucker, The Washington Post, October 31, 2016, The History of the cat in the Middle Ages (Part 2): The Black cat as the devil in Christian sects, L A Vocelle, The Great Cat: The Cat in History, Art, and Literature. For example, 79 medieval cats were mysteriously slain in Cambridge, England, by the townsfolk in the 13th century. Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. Either way, his account cant be true. Cats are natural hunters. Its a little school in England that was established in the year 1096. Both, however, rendered the Catholic Church redundant. I SAY GOOD FOR ALL THOSE SENSELESS HUMANOIDS. On June 13, 1233, Pope Gregory IX instigated the first bull of his papacy: the Vox in Rama. He believed that cats were evil creatures because they were related to Satan. Wierd Tales, Vol 36. Dogs are sweet but they dont really have that self respect that cats do. Although the explicit heretic activities mentioned within the Vox in Rama do mention something about our feline friend, this doesn't mean that Gregory IX endorse cathunt. Others posit that the smaller geoglyphs were used as location markers for travelers. Do you believe that cats are invested with the spirit of Mr. Morningstar. Interestingly enough, the author of the article writes that one reason cats are evil is that they are the favored pets of witches. Actually, witches both modern ones and the one who were burned at the stake during Middle Ages owned cats because being close to nature is central to theirreligious beliefs. ABORTION SHOULD BE THE ANSWER IN ALL COUNTRIES, ALONG SIDE LAWS THAT WOULD PREVENT THE POPULATION GROWTH FROM EXPANDING . For some reason, we find the idea that our ancestors were dumb rather appealing. ), Then, in 1484, another pope, Innocent VIII, issued apapal bullthat condemned to death all cats and their human companions. Here are our sources? Conrads methods, however, yielded results and in 1231, the Archbishops of Trier and Mainz wrote to the Pope, full of praise for their heretic catcher. He is mostly known for issuing the Decretales and starting the Papal Inquisition. Then, there is the fact that cats just arent good ratters-, which is why dogs; especially terriers are employed to catch rodents. Literally no cats. Costs of living dropped. This seems to add up for the modern reader. Locusts and every other kind because the sparrow not only ate grain but also insects the great 3 year famin followed and the official Chinese records showed 15 million people died of starvation but later studies done by experts from outside of China say the official numbers are fudged badly in an optimistic attempt to cover the true death toll of around 45 million plus some even say as high as 70 million!! Both rats and pigeons would make a great next plague material though, The bull does not, however, dictate that Catholics across Europe kill all cats to stop Satan Islam doesnt tell Muslims to kill pigs but they still chase and try to kill one by kicking and hitting if they see it on the street because they believe it is evil and forbidden. Thats serious.. (2007, September 1). Check out France, rats on the street, brave-pigeons without flight reflex, but no cats. The PBS documentary pointed out that cats dont have the musculature in their faces to reproduce human-like facial expressions the way dogs do, which is probably the main reason people think they are aloof and why they think dogs are so much more companionable (cause we love things that are more like us). Finally, even if cat numbers were vastly reduced, they were not wiped out. They came to us willingly because we offered so much prey and have been a benefit to mankind whether you like em or not. In my home, I use cat statuettes as bookends, and have various other representations of these felines throughout my home. I AGREE. They definitely dont stop fleas. This info on Pope Gregory the ASSWHOLE is just another scandal caused by a Pope. Further, the plague wasnt a one-off event in Europe. For years there was a debate if the Black Death and the Bubonic Plague were the same, adding speculation to the rat spreading theory. A witch and her cat. While there is no evidence that cats in medieval England were persecuted, their mousing skills were likened to the devils ability to catch souls, with the fifteenth-century merchant William Caxton remarking how the devil playeth ofte with the synnar, lyke as the catte doth with the mous. Some historians believe that the persecutions across Europe so depleted cat numbers that mouse- and rat-catching by cats diminished- one of the reasons why the Bubonic Plague took such a deadly hold in Europe during the fourteenth century. For example, 79 medieval cats were mysteriously slain in Cambridge, England, by the townsfolk in the 13th century. For a lot of folks, everything you need to know about the Middle Ages you can find in Braveheart or Monty Pythonit was a simple, stupid period when superstition ruled the land, heads rolled daily, and people were covered in sh*t all the time. Welcome to BELIEVE.art, home of Revolutionary Artist & Warrior-Poet, Chairman Meow. Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges pilgrims during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 4, 2009. His papacy started when hereticism run rampant in Europe, and yet, by the end of his term, he saw the completion of one of the most important canon law in the Catholic Church known as the Decretales Gregorii IX, excommunicated Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and (allegedly) founded the earliest incarnation of the papal inquisition. Between 1347 and 1352, some 100 million people died of the Plague, representing almost half of Europes population. The mass murder of cats was not the only cause of the Black Plague, but it removed a crucial natural predator of the flea-carrying rats that spread the disease. Gregory IX. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Encyclopedia.com. The Remains of Dead US Presidents Will Be Sent Into Space, The Man Who Surgically Brought Back Unicorns. The cats play into the picture as they would have normally been instrumental in cutting down the rat populations. While ancient Egyptians would have rathersurrenderto invading army than harm a hand on a cat, the belief by others that cats cannot be trained to be loyal and obedient like a dog, was a source ofanxietyover cats during medieval times. CATS ARE BETTER THAN PEOPLE & ALWAYS WILL BE BETTER THAN HUMANS. Before the 13th century, many societies, . As was to be expected of a former angel The upper part of his body from the hips upward shines as brightly as the sun. However, his fall from grace was encapsulated by his lower body where his skin is coarse and covered with fur like a cat.. Because the powers that be dictated that the cat composed one of the main identifiers of a witch, the Church officially excommunicated the entire species. It kept happening, lets say once per generation, until the 1700s. He has a brother named Adenulphus who later on in life served as the rector of Anagni, while Ugolino himself was educated in Paris and per known tradition, Bologna. These inferences have led to a story that appears to lack evidence. AKSHAY. Since the reign of Gregory, folks at the time had taken a disliking for cats, especially the black ones. But myths often transcend evidence, dont they? Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death, Georgievska, Marija. https://historycollection.co/thou-shalt-not-suffer-a-cat-to-live-why-pope-gregory-ixs-vox-in-rama-implicated-cats-in-devil-worship/3/, Of course, theres also the wee tiny fact that the paranoia about witchcraft didnt really start to get into full swing until the 16th and 17th century, and that included black cats. Pope Gregory IX (Source: les.tresors.de.lys.free.fr) Yeah you have a good point there! Many believed this was the end of the human race, and who could blame them? Omniverous diet, free bleeders- cats and other mammals? While I cannot say for certain that things didnt happen this way, there appear to be holes. As a journalist, I spoke daily with public affairs officers who represented diverse government and corporate clients. In any case, the various popes saw nothing wrong with burning heretics alive, so they already had a savage reputation. The few versions of this story that bother to give anything like some substantiation claim that cats were declared servants of evil by Pope Gregory IX in 1232 or even that he declared that they should all be killed. Constantly told the Truth is stranger than fiction!!! One small fact you havent taken account of here. That evil came to be neatly personified in the form of black cats that were beaten to death to purge the new season of evil spirits. Kitty cats are not everyones flavor of pudding, but they serve an important role in many urban areas, especially in the developing nations outside the western world. We know they had terrier like dogs in Medieval Europe and that they were used as ratters. He informed the Pope of his findings. Gregory IX. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Encyclopedia.com. Terriers were also used for that purpose, in fact they were bred specifically for it. If anything, the cathunt is Konrads interpretation of the papal bull. It mentioned Pope Gregorys hate on for cats. Anyone with a thing against cats may get some satisfaction from a weird history "fact" circulating on the internet. A quick Google search shows that a felinefemme fatalecat mask is conveniently available on Amazon for only $25.22. When an animal is removed from the ecosystem (especially out of fear) it usually causes a chain reaction. Thanks, In the meantime, accusations of witchcraft began to spread amongst the ordinary people, as a way of settling grudges or seizing property and cats began to be used as proof of satanic association. Pope Gregory IX did not say cats are evil, and did not order people to kill cats. Then, when the rats came bearing the Plague, there were no mousers left to keep the disease in check.3. How then could he have impacted the good people of the 1300s? The most likely targets were often older cat-owning peasant women (The Crazy Cat Ladies of their time) who were labeled witches and often burned alive at the stake. Denmarks Fastelavn held at the start of lent was based on the premise that for spring to begin, evil had to be banished. He also became the first Pope to appoint inquisitors to actively root out such heretics. I suppose its possible that Vox in Rama simply set the stage for a cat-killing trend that would, generations later, result in the Black Death. The novice then feasted with the rest of the congregation, after which they assembled to pay homage to a black cat which emerged from a kind of statue which normally stands in the place where these meetings are held., The whole coven was required to kiss the cats behind, and once they had done this, a wild sexual orgy occurred. And thats the official take on Halloween from theVatican News. (Accessed 2018, June 1). The black plague ravaged countless European cities around a century after the demise of Pope Gregory IX. Based on the Vox in Rama translation there is no exact phrase that urges Konrad or other inquisitors to go on a cathunt all across Europe. The story youre most likely to find in popular history articles goes something like this: Cats were brought to Europe from Egypt by the Romans and enjoyed a decent reputation for a long timeprobably because they were such a boon to agricultural societies. A bit hard to read when YOU ARE SCREAMING AT ME though! Interestingly enough, Halloween originally a pagan celebration also has Catholic roots in the form of All Hallows Eve, that is the Vigil of All Saints Day, when Catholics remember those who have gone before them to enter their heavenly home. Im on the fence about getting an electronic cat that responds to touch (i.e., purring, meowing and flicking its robotic tail) but I can see why Egyptians of antiquity fell in love with cats. In Cambridge, England, by the townsfolk in the 13th century invested with the of. 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