THE BULL OF INNOCENT VIII
Innocent, Bishop, Servant of the servants of God, for an eternal
remembrance.
Desiring with the most hearfelt
anxiety, even as Our Apostleship requires, that the Catholic faith should
especially in this Our day increase and flourish everywhere, and that all
heretical depravity should be driven far from the frontiers and bournes of the
Faithful, We very gladly proclaim and even restate those particular means and
methods whereby Our pious desire may obtain its wished effect, since when all
errors are uprooted by Our diligent avocation as by the hoe of a provident
husbandman, a zeal for, and the regular observance of, Our holy Faith will be
all the more strongly impressed upon the hearts of the faithful.
It has indeed lately come to Our
ears, not without afflicting Us with bitter sorrow, that in some parts of
Northern Germany, as well as in the provinces, townships, territories,
districts, and dioceses of Mainz, Cologne, Tréves, Salzburg, and Bremen, many
persons of both sexes, unmindful of their own salvation and straying from the
Catholic Faith, have abandoned themselves to devils, incubi and succubi, and
by their incantations, spells, conjurations, and other accursed charms and
crafts, enormities and horrid offences, have slain infants yet in the mother's
womb, as also the offspring of cattle, have blasted the produce of the earth,
the grapes of the vine, the fruits of the trees, nay, men and women, beasts of
burthen, herd-beasts, as well as animals of other kinds, vineyards, orchards,
meadows, pasture-land, corn, wheat, and all other cereals; these wretches
furthermore afflict and torment men and women, beasts of burthen, herd-beasts,
as well as animals of other kinds, with terrible and piteous pains and sore
diseases, both internal and external; they hinder men from performing the
sexual act and women from conceiving, whence husbands cannot know their wives
nor wives receive their husbands; over and above this, they blasphemously
renounce that Faith which is theirs by the Sacrament of Baptism, and at the
instigation of the Enemy of Mankind they do not shrink from committing and
perpetrating the foulest abominations and filthiest excesses to the deadly
peril of their own souls, whereby they outrage the Divine Majesty and are a
cause of scandal and danger to very many. And although Our dear sons Henry
Kramer and James Sprenger, Professors of Theology, of the Order of Friars
Preachers, have been by Letters Apostolic delegated as Inquisitors of these
heretical pravities, and still are Inquisitors, the first in the aforesaid
parts of Northern Germany, wherein are included those aforesaid townships,
districts, dioceses, and other specified localities, and the second in certain
territories which lie along the borders of the Rhine, nevertheless not a few
clerics and lay folk of those countries, seeking too curiously to know more
than concerns them, since in the aforesaid delegatory letters there is no
express and specific mention by name of these provinces, townships, dioceses,
and districts, and further since the two delegates themselves and the
abominations they are to encounter are not designated in detailed and
particular fashion, these persons are not ashamed to contend with the most
unblushing effrontery that these enormities are not practised in these
provinces, and consequently the aforesaid Inquisitors have no legal right to
exercise their powers of inquisition in the provinces, townships, dioceses,
districts, and territories, which have been rehearsed, and that the
Inquisitors may not proceed to punish, imprison, and penalize criminals
convicted of the heinous offences and many wickednesses which have been set
forth. Accordingly in the aforesaid provinces, townships, dioceses, and
districts, the abominations and enormities in question remain unpunished not
without open danger to the souls of many and peril of eternal damnation.
Wherefore We, as is Our duty, being
wholly desirous of removing all hindrances and obstacles by which the good
work of the Inquisitors may be let and tarded, as also of applying potent
remedies to prevent the disease of heresy and other turpitudes diffusing their
poison to the destruction of many innocent souls, since Our zeal for the Faith
especially incites us, lest that the provinces, townships, dioceses, districts,
and territories of Germany, which We had specified, be deprived of the
benefits of the Holy Office thereto assigned, by the tenor of these presents
in virtue of Our Apostolic authority We decree and enjoin that the aforesaid
Inquisitors be empowered to proceed to the just correction, imprisonment, and
punishment of any persons, without let or hindrance, in every way as if the
provinces, townships, dioceses, districts, territories, yea, even the persons
and their crimes in this kind were named and particularly designated in Our
letters. Moreover, for greater surety We extend these letters deputing this
authority to cover all the aforesaid provinces, townships, dioceses, districts,
territories, persons, and crimes newly rehearsed, and We grant permission to
the aforesaid Inquisitors, to one separately or to both, as also to Our dear
son John Gremper, priest of the diocese of Constance, Master of Arts, their
notary, or to any other public notary, who shall be by them, or by one of them,
temporarily delegated to those provinces, townships, dioceses, districts, and
aforesaid territories, to proceed, according to the regulations of the
Inquisition, against any persons of whatsoever rank and high estate,
correcting, mulcting, imprisoning, punishing, as their crimes merit, those
whom they have found guilty, the penalty being adapted to the offence.
Moreover, they shall enjoy a full and perfect faculty of expounding and
preaching the of God to the faithful, so often as opportunity may offer
and it may seem good to them, in each and every parish church of the said
provinces, and they shall freely and lawfully perform any rites or execute any
business which may appear advisable in the aforesaid cases. By Our supreme
authority We grant them anew full and complete faculties.
At the same time by Letters
Apostolic We require Our venerable Brother, the Bishop of Strasburg (Albrecht
von Bayern, 1478-1506 - ed.), that he himself shall announce, or by some other
or others cause to be announced, the burthen if Our Bull, which he shall
solemnly publish when and so often as he deems it necessary, or when he shall
be requested so to do by the Inquisitors or by one of them. Nor shall he
suffer them in disobedience to the tenor of these presents to be molested or
hindered by any authority whatsoever, but he shall threaten all who endeavour
to hinder or harass the Inquisitors, all who oppose them, all rebels, of
whatsoever rank, estate, position, pre-eminence, dignity, or any condition
they may be, or whatsoever privilege or exemption they may claim, with
excommunication, suspension, interdict, and yet more terrible penalties,
censures, and punishment, as may seem good to him, and that without any right
of appeal, and if he will he may by Our authority aggravate and renew these
penalties as often as he list, calling in, if so please him, the help of the
secular arm.
Non obstantibus . . . Let no man
therefore . . . But if any dare to do so, which God forbid, let him know that
upon him will fall the wrath of Almighty God, and of the Blessed Apostles
Peter and Paul.
Given at Rome, at S. Peter's, on
the 9 December of the Year of the Incarnation of Our Lord one thousand four
hundred and eighty-four, in the first year of Our Pontificate.