In Belgium, an entire festival, Kattenstoet, is dedicated to throwing cats from buildings and burning them in the streets. For Conrad in his quest for heretics around Mainz and Hildesheim claimed to have uncovered a Luciferian cult. Others posit that the smaller geoglyphs were used as location markers for travelers. Want more crazy cat facts? The most you can say about cats from this papal bull is that they are perhaps among the icons worshipped by a Satanic cult. Where once these creatures had been common household animals, they were now regarded as dangerous, unpredictable and demonic. Both, however, rendered the Catholic Church redundant. Answer: This looks like a job for History for Atheists! The Churchs feline foibles didnt stop with Gregory, however. His condemnation of cats may not be responsible for the spread of black death, but it's definitely connected to the decline in cat populations at the time, and the proliferation of rat populations. The Popes were all lecherous greedy thieves seeking nothing but power for themselves & their families. However, amongst the warped fantasies were some bare facts from past beliefs which lent themselves to the dark image of witchcraft the church was attempting to conjure. 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. Pope Gregory IX How did this come about? THE RELIGIOUS SECTOR ARE OUT OF THEIR MINDS W/ THEIR POOR REASONING OF ENCOURAGING BIG FAMILIES. Retrieved from http://historycollection.co/thou-shalt-not-suffer-a-cat-to-live-why-pope-gregory-ixs-vox-in-rama-implicated-cats-in-devil-worship/, Gibbens, Sarah. That is, pope condemning cats and declaring satanistique is enough for some people to start mass-killing cats, this assholes claims are 100% wrong; more than one pope ordered cats killed- why not, eventually excommunicaated? They were hunted into extinction ! I AGREE. In fact, the picture of a white Persian cat in Bond villain Ernst Blofelds lap is an indelible cultural image, as is that of the hairless cat that Dr. 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. 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. (Accessed June 1, 2018). And though its unlikely that historys most pro-natural environment pope will encourage cat bonfires, he does suggest we take a step away from the dog ice cream and cat outfits in the pet aisle. Reigning during the Western Schism, he was opposed by the Avignon claimant Benedict XIII and the Pisan claimants Alexander V and John XXIII.Gregory XII wanted to unify the Church and . (As a side note, the festival continues in modern Belgium but nowKattenstoethonors felines with a parade that features cute effigies of cats, but I digress. At first glance, these rites, with their orgies and obscenities seem to be deliberately far-fetched. Since the reign of Gregory, folks at the time had taken a disliking for cats, especially the black ones. It also provided a remarkably full account of their Satanic rite. Did Pope Gregorys comfort with the law cause him tooverstephis station as the pope? Wierd Tales, Vol 36. It wasn't until Pope Gregory IX came to power in the 1200s that black cats became a symbol of bad luck. February 8, 2013. 1999. Cats were beloved by Egyptians. Apparently snakes and scorpions were threats too. A LION; I will wager $500 we can debate this and I will win with 100 literate judges NOT taught as toddlers the pope or priest can send them TO HELL. Gregory was a reluctant pontiff- and not just because of his age. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. DeAgostini/Getty Images. Like, if I were to think of evil depictions on display in a museum, this would be one of them. The bull called upon the bishops of Mainz and Hildesheim to lend Conrad their full support in rooting out these witches. We know they had terrier like dogs in Medieval Europe and that they were used as ratters. Not only were they a source of companionship they were also a status symbol and source of worship. Purina. If you survived, you lost many people you loved. Gregory IX. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Encyclopedia.com. Was considering writing a song about the folly of feline flaying, now Im not so sure. ABORTION SHOULD BE THE ANSWER IN ALL COUNTRIES, ALONG SIDE LAWS THAT WOULD PREVENT THE POPULATION GROWTH FROM EXPANDING . Even those among us who love cats (not me, I like dogs) freely admit that they are mercurial and probably evil animals that deal death for fun and would eat our eyes if they got the chance. no; mice? It was Gregorys past as an astute lawyer that connected him to his acts of justice within the church. While the fact is pretty obscure on whether the papal bull is directly influenced by Konrad, he is known as a zeal that is set on to burn every last heretic. The cat had obtained a darker connotation through its association with Galinthias, who became a servant of Hecate, a Greek goddess of the underworld after she was turned into a cat by the goddess Hera. Enter the ancestors of Garfield the Cat. The plague spread so easily that everyone back in the medieval age believes that the plague transfer via smell and air. Dog lovers, please get over it. We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. For example, 79 medieval cats were mysteriously slain in Cambridge, England, by the townsfolk in the 13th century. For one, rate outnumber cats by a huge margin, like everywhere, and always have. Pope Gregory IX did issue a papal bull, . People living during this time lived in constant fear of 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. Does the dwindling population of cats indirectly cause the infamous Black Death? Pope Gregory IX (1147-1241). People like to dump on the Middle Ages for being Europes cultural and technological nadir, especially compared to the surrounding Classical and Renaissance periods. Id already discounted that idea. Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. (Accessed June 1, 2018). Fewer cats, more rats, more fleas, and more plague. Ive written before about whycats are strange including the reasons cats like to walk all over you, knead you and are afraid of cucumbers. On October 11, 1231, he appointed Conrad as the first grand inquisitor of Germany. Used as widespread clickbait, a frequently repeated story claims that in the 13th century Pope Gregory IX, who led the Catholic Church from 1227 to 1241 and has been remembered for initiating the Papal Inquisition against heretics, suffered from a serious case of cat contempt. This sudden lack of cats led to an increase in rat infestation which in turn increased the spread of disease, the most devastating being the Bubonic Plague. Conrad had initially been involved in the persecution of the Cathars and enjoyed significant successes during the Albigensian crusade of 1209 -1229. Finally, even if cat numbers were vastly reduced, they were not wiped out. We accept this storythat we humans once crossed cats and it resulted in one in three of us dyingbecause it just feels rignt. Pope Gregory IX (1147-1241) was probably the world's worst cat hater or at least he did the most damage to cats. Wildcat7 Youd rather see an animal domesticated for thousands of years in the wild doing what they are meant to do than indoors as pets? Its disgusting the way people treat and exploit these great animals. Then each [returns] to his place and, speaking certain responses, they incline their heads toward to cat. After all, the devil was already at work through heretics. Vermin did a number on harvests, but cats were natures perfect solution: they literally cant eat anything that isnt meat, which means that they pose no risk to the crops. As people began to get sick and the Black Plague began spreading, more and more cats were killed. And the Black Death didnt just travel to Europeit did its thing in Egypt, too, where it may have done more damage than it did in England.7. However, it was also a piece of papal legislation that was notable in another way, for the Vox was the first papal bull to associate the cat with witchcraft. as a dvm (research quickly with phd, now DO, but still love animals) I agree about cat fanatics but this loser has all wrong about the need for cats to kill the Y Pestis flea vector rats; also, that species of flea does not infest on cats or dogs- their anticoagulant is perfect match for RATTUS NORweigica, and humans; not even mice suit them; his map of plague is laughingly inaccurate. The Waldenses, who were founded in 1170 by Peter Waldo claimed that individuals could commune with God directly, negating the need for priests. He also became the first Pope to appoint inquisitors to actively root out such heretics. Cats were seen as agents of the devil, throughout much of history, and slaughtered again centuries later in New England during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Finally, even if cat numbers were vastly reduced, they were not wiped out. The disease was ravaging Asia before it ever made its way to Europe. In 2019, Profs and Pints, an organization that was founded to democratize higher learning, hosted an event that was designed to demystify the magical, spiritual and even sexualdepictions of catsin media and society. These inferences have led to a story that appears to lack evidence. In a papal bull of 1233 he denounced the black cat as diabolical. Even today, the Vatican still throws shade at cats. Thats serious.. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death, Georgievska, Marija. By Gregorys decree, there was a target on the head of every black cat. Its true that paper cutouts of these furry creatures make nice imagery at Halloween parties. Denmarks Fastelavn held at the start of lent was based on the premise that for spring to begin, evil had to be banished. It was one of the most deadly pandemics in history. Not only that he founded the papal inquisition to prosecute heresy, but he also issues a papal bull a legal decree issued by a pope, designated as Vox in Rama that calls for crusades condemning the spread of heretics that follows Luciferianism in Mainz, Germany. These were, however, local affairs and dont serve as proof of the kind of massive cat recall modern folks have inferred from Pope Gregory IXs bull. No one can say for sure how many cats were killed because of the association made between them and witchcraft by the Vox in Rama. 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