Note and Comment

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 12, 1906

Is the Roman Catholic Church as intolerant to-day as it was during the days of the Inquisition? Most Protestants think not, and Catholics themselves, while declaring that Rome never changes, strenuously deny that their church would perpetrate to-day such deeds as were done to dissenters from the Catholic religion during the Dark Ages. Recently a controversy arose over this question in the city of Berlin, the nature and outcome of which is thus described by an exchange:—

Great interest has been caused in Berlin by the trial of Dr. Richter, a well-known journalist of that city, on a charge of libeling the Roman Catholic Church. “Dr. Richter’s articles stated that the spirit of Rome was as criminal to-day as it was when it first set up the Inquisition. He quoted modern Roman authorities, one of whom desired to see the stake revived for the burning of heretics; while another recommended the beheading of anti-Roman university professors. Dr. Richter maintained that Rome had learned nothing, forgotten nothing, and was as ready to torture and burn heretics to-day as it was when Pius VII plotted to murder Elizabeth of England, and Gregory XIII planned St. Bartholomew’s. One of his witnesses, formerly a Jesuit priest, came provided with something like a hundred volumes of Catholic history and theology, from which he showed that the Roman Church still held the doctrine that heretics were to be given up to the ‘civil arm’ if they remained recalcitrant. On the other side a number of Catholic ecclesiastical historians sought to prove that although the church has never disavowed the acts of the Inquisition, she is now filled with the spirit of toleration, love, and liberty, and that even in countries where she has her own way, there are no acts of intolerance or persecution. After a four days’ trial, a Catholic court and a Catholic jury, sitting in one of the most Catholic cities of Europe, acquitted Dr. Richter of the charge of libeling the church. They found that he had established a strong enough case to justify his criticism.”