Cats just arent dogs, and I respect and love them specifically for that reason. Its disgusting the way people treat and exploit these great animals. The disease was ravaging Asia before it ever made its way to Europe. The account began by describing the initiation of novices to the coven. Henry was acquitted when he appealed to the bishop of Mainz and later that year Marburg himself was mysteriously murdered- probably at Henrys behest. This cruel practice continued until 1817 although the Kattenstoet continues to this day- involving stuffed cats instead. I like cats, but I dont wear leopard skin or go around posting pictures of cats everywhere. 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. 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. Indeed the belief that the torture or killing of cats could break spells continued across northern Europe. This dudes job was to rid Germany of heretics, so he had plenty of reason to stoke the Popes fears of heretical activity (gotta keep that job). Denmarks Fastelavn held at the start of lent was based on the premise that for spring to begin, evil had to be banished. Thank you for your cooperation.You can sign-up to the Membership any time to remove the adds and enjoy the content with no interruptions, 2 popes and a plague are to blame for burning felines at the stake. Poor cats though. Afterwards, they sit down to a meal and when they have arisen from it, the certain statue, which is usual in a set of this kind, a black cat descends backwards, with its tail erect. People living during this time lived in constant fear of death. Wages rose fast in the absence of labor. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Vox-in-Rama-authentic-What-effects-did-it-have, Sheldon, Natasha. I didnt expect to read the whole article, but I found myself tickled in all the right places, so dear sir, I did indeed finish the article in its entirety. Cat burning became a favorite medieval pastime in France, where cats were suspended over fires in cages or doused and set alight- even chased on fire through the streets by cat chasers. If anything, the cathunt is Konrads interpretation of the papal bull. 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. They were shunned, persecuted and often killed by people who feared that they . In the fourth century, a Christian monk named Evagrius Ponticus wrote down what's known as the "eight evil thoughts": gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, sloth, sadness . The Black Plague did happen. Thou Shalt not suffer a Cat to Live: Why Pope Gregory IXs Vox in Rama Implicated Cats in Devil Worship. ), Then, in 1484, another pope, Innocent VIII, issued apapal bullthat condemned to death all cats and their human companions. Wikimedia Commons. The bull began by bewailing the various woes that afflicted the church- the most recent being the satanic cult identified by Conrad of Marburg as flourishing in Northern Germany. The Bull arose in response to rumors of satanic cults in Germany by the areas grand inquisitor, Conrad of Marburg. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Vox-in-Rama-authentic-What-effects-did-it-have, PetMD. Pope Gregory IX became pope of the Catholic Church in 1227 and he wanted to kill cats. https://owlcation.com/humanities/Cats-and-the-Black-Plague, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/ravens-memory-unfair-trade/, http://historycollection.co/thou-shalt-not-suffer-a-cat-to-live-why-pope-gregory-ixs-vox-in-rama-implicated-cats-in-devil-worship/, https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Vox-in-Rama-authentic-What-effects-did-it-have, https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-abstract/CXXII/498/1075/457108/The-Black-Death-in-Egypt-and-England-A-Comparative?redirectedFrom=fulltext, https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death, http://www.kattenstoet.be/en/page/497-511/the-cat-throwing.html, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/eight-witchcraft-myths/, https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp, Abee, Holle. 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. That was the first church document condemning black cats as instruments of satan. Gregory was a reluctant pontiff- and not just because of his age. It came from was Asia, but it is still believed by many to have traveled on the backs of fleas living on rats. They fly in the face of the Christian idea of God putting the natural world and its creatures here for humanitys benefit. Constantly told the Truth is stranger than fiction!!! It wouldnt be the first time Catholicism has decided an animal once worshipped by pagans needed to be rebranded as Satanic (see: goats). For years there was a debate if the Black Death and the Bubonic Plague were the same, adding speculation to the rat spreading theory. I get why we have dogs. In fact, most people who believe the Europeans wiped out cats which caused the Black Death bull crap, is that cats werent the only animals used for catching rats. My mum always said the best way to get rid of a flea infestation was to let a cat walk through your house. Exterminating cats during the black plague epidemic in the 14th century: Cat owners were often accused of witchcraft, and often murdered along with their pets. Wikimedia Commons. 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. Then, there is the fact that cats just arent good ratters-, which is why dogs; especially terriers are employed to catch rodents. Often fueled by a fear, individuals are often capable of doing illogical or terrible things as groups when given permission by authority figures. Name is important in the papacy as it is seen as a signal of how their reign is envisioned. 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. Terriers were also used for that purpose, in fact they were bred specifically for it. It mentioned Pope Gregorys hate on for cats. By Gregorys decree, there was a target on the head of every black cat. The purpose of the papal bull Vox in Rama, was to condemn a cult that had allegedly popped up in the Rhinelandand the bull was specifically sent to the city of Mainz. The plague spread so easily that everyone back in the medieval age believes that the plague transfer via smell and air. (Accessed June 1, 2018). This bull, the story goes, declared cats as the instruments of Satan, and set Medieval Europe on a great cat purge, with special attention paid to black cats, who were particularly Luciferian. Apparently torture produced some pretty convincing confessions from people who worshipped the devil and his black cat. Pope Benedict died Dec. 31, 2022, at the age of 95 in his residence at the . As one might have predicted, thereafter, mass slaughters of cats blanked Europe. The fleas will jump on to the cat and then you can dose the cat to kill them. Good luck keeping cat population low for 500 years. The Vox in Rama encouraged Conrad of Marburg to overreach himself and that same year he accused Henry II, Count of Sayn of taking part in satanic orgies. Cats and the Black Plague. If you survived, you lost many people you loved. If the Nazca thought enough of cats to etch a 37-meter geoglyph of one into the mountain that persists 2,000 years later, they must have thought highly of them. Evil cradles in the Austin Powers franchise. DeAgostini/Getty Images. Since the ninth century AD, the Canon Episcopi of the Catholic Church had deemed belief in witchcraft to be a heresy in itself. And thats because its body is invested with the spirit of the Morning Star himself. For he had inherited the problem of heresies which were blossoming across thirteenth century Christian Europe and challenging the 'universal' church. You know, small-town sh*t.9. Id rather see them in the wild doing what cats are meant to do than as someones indoor pet. Ugolino chooses the name Gregory IX, as he assumed the office at the monastery of St. Gregory ad Septem Solia and fully embracing the papal supremacy policy following the footsteps of Gregory VII and Innocent III. Sometimes it appears unduly large, and sometimes equivalent to a goose or a duck, and sometimes it even assumes the size of an oven. While there appears to be no evidence that Pope Gregory IX ever told people to kill cats, there have been smaller historical examples of Medieval folks killing cats for weird reasons. By removing many cats from the food chain, the population of rodents began to rise across Europe, as Asian and other foreign ships carrying rats brought them to European harbors. This timeline stretched from 1346 to 1353, a little more than a century after Gregory. 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. HUMAN OVER-POPULATION ISNT PRETTY, IT IS THE CAUSE BEHIND CHRONIC WARS. Enter the ancestors of Garfield the Cat. To start, lets look at what Pope Gregory IX actually said about cats in his bull (special formatting is my own): These new, heretical beliefs varied. Dear Sir, 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). 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. Not only did the Egyptians hold the cat sacred in the form of Bast, a warrior goddess associated with fertility and the moon, but so too did the Romans, for whom the cat was one of the symbols of the goddess of freedom, Liberta. Consider a quote from Rastafari leader Haile Selassie; Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph. Iz just as true during Dark Ages as iz now. 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. Cats dont generally take on rats. Retrieved from https://owlcation.com/humanities/Cats-and-the-Black-Plague, Encyclopaedia Britannica. THE RELIGIOUS SECTOR ARE OUT OF THEIR MINDS W/ THEIR POOR REASONING OF ENCOURAGING BIG FAMILIES. The Remains of Dead US Presidents Will Be Sent Into Space, The Man Who Surgically Brought Back Unicorns. Weve discovered that the two diseases were one and the same, spread by contact, not the air. And whatever else fleas like to nosh on.8. Plague. A 'bulla' is the seal on the papal bull. *Coupons: Check out our coupons for stores like Checks Unlimited and CheapOair! 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. Why did Pope Gregory IX issue Vox in Rama in the first place? All this was about to change. ABORTION SHOULD BE THE ANSWER IN ALL COUNTRIES, ALONG SIDE LAWS THAT WOULD PREVENT THE POPULATION GROWTH FROM EXPANDING . 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. These inferences have led to a story that appears to lack evidence. People banged drums and kept the sparrow in the air not permitting them to land until they died of exhaustion! (Accessed June 1, 2018). Which brings us back to Pope Innocent VIIIs 1484 declaration that the cat was the devils favourite animal and idol of all witches., The cat was the devils favourite animal and idol of all witches. Pope Innocent VIII. 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. On January 23, 1229, he sent messages to Riga, Lubeck, Sweden, to Gotland with an appeal to begin . It kept happening, lets say once per generation, until the 1700s. Potential infected flea hosts include: rodents, humans, dogs, and cats. Then each [returns] to his place and, speaking certain responses, they incline their heads toward to cat. Eventually, the ItalianRenaissance would put this so far in the rearview, all we could think about wasfrilly collars. Many superstitions, including fear of black cats, continue to this day. Before the prospect of burning at the stake for having contact with the purring pets, Catholics around the the continent began slaughtering any feline that entered their property. The reforms were based on the suggestions of the Italian scientist Luigi Lilio, with some modifications by the Jesuit mathematician and astronomer Christopher Clavius. (2010, February 4). It also saw the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in 843. Allegedly, people confess to Konrad that Luciferianism initiates goes through an initiation process that includes giant toad, pale man, and licking the bum of a backward walking-living statue of a black cat. Retrieved from https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/06/in-the-middle-ages-devil-fearing-christians-killed-cats-which-carried-the-unintended-consequence-of-increasing-the-rat-population-and-the-spread-of-the-black-death/, Horrox, Rosemary. This seems to add up for the modern reader. Public Domain. Its also true that there was a pope at the time who was not a fan of cats, who banned them. The Churchs feline foibles didnt stop with Gregory, however. THE HUMAN POPULATION NEEDS TO BE CUT BACK BECAUSE OF THEIR EVIL NATURE. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-abstract/CXXII/498/1075/457108/The-Black-Death-in-Egypt-and-England-A-Comparative?redirectedFrom=fulltext, Kattenstoet. Im not saying it was a great time to be alive, but it was a more complex time than people give it credit for. But, was it because of cats andrats? "The whole story is one of those pseudo historical urban myths that keeps getting repeated despite the fact it's complete nonsense. Medieval people were indeed superstitious (but so are modern people), and cats are great but, lets face ittheyre assh*les. (2017, June 6). In the 13th century, an inquisitor described, in a report to the pope, a Satanic cult in Germany that used cats as part of a ritual, and the pope's response quoted some of his information (which has been described as medieval propaganda by some). It was his distaste for cats that penned the Vox in Rama. Theres one thing you havent considered. Honestly, I feel like even thinking that the cathunt resulted or directly influence the black plague is a bit of a stretch. 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. Firstly, they are greeted by an abnormally large frog or toad, whose behind they must kiss and then a man of fearful pallor and thinness whose task was to suck out every last remnant of faith in the Catholic Church from their soul. 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. As people began to get sick and the Black Plague began spreading, more and more cats were killed. ALL ANIMALS ARE BEAUTIFUL, EVERY SPECIES KNOWN IS A JOY TO BEHOLD, EVERY ONE, RIGHT DOWN TO THE HIPPO, THE PIGS, EQUINES, PACHYDERMS , FELINES, CANINES, BOVINES. Tomb of Ancient Viking High King Discovered, The Most Bizarre Relics From The Ancient Funeral Rite. On March 19, 1227, 80-year-old cardinal Ugolino di Segni became Pope Gregory IX. While the papal bull was sent to several rulers such as Emperor Frederick II and King Henry of Germany, the central prominent figure that assumes that task very seriously is one Konrad von Marburg. Where do we get our stuff? Though Ive learned important lessons from each of my trips, my trip to Chile the string bean-shaped country was my favorite. Yes, I did say an astronaut that looks suspiciously like Neil Armstrong was carved in the face of the earth two millennia ago. If cats were evil, it made sense that they were responsible for all the death and . The papal inquisition rained down justice on heretics, the people who spoke out against church canon. On June 13, 1233, Gregory issued the Vox in Rama, an official papal decree declaring that Satan was half-cat and sometimes took the form of a cat during Satanic masses. Your email address will not be published. First the novice, then the master, then each one of the order who are worthy and perfect, kiss the cat on its buttocks. Indeed, there is evidence of animals dying from the Plague. Gregory IX approved the Northern Crusades of the Teutonic Order, the purpose of which was the baptism of the Baltic pagan peoples, and which led to the attempts of the Catholic colonialists to seize the lands of Pskov and Novgorod principalities. It's like visiting the museum with a close friend who just happens to know all the best stories, secrets and gossip. Keep in mind that Chairman Meow iz not targeting religion, ceiling cat forbid ,but shedding light on human nature to digest and follow institutional dogma. Cats that I know are devoted to their humans my dog runs off as soon as the door is open, my cat sits on my knee, engages in conversation with me, stays closeby our home, and kills lots of mice, bringing them to me rather than eating them cats keep down rodent populations for farmers and humans who store and eat grain etc definitely as handy as dogs. Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. Gregory was a reluctant pontiff- and not just because of his age. So as you say, cats couldnt have contained bubonic plague. Cats, dogs, horses, humans. The Bubonic plague was carried not by rats themselves but their fleas; fleas which could just as easily transfer to dogs- and cats. But this means that a papal bull that didnt tell people to wipe out cats and was only sent to Mainz somehow influenced the majority of people throughout Europe to kill off all their cats, and to stick to it over the course of the next 115 years. BELIEVE! Cat burning became a favorite medieval pastime in France, where cats were suspended over fires in cages or doused and set alight- even chased on fire through the streets by cat chasers. He informed the Pope of his findings. But some of their adversaries do. 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. (Ive decided not the repost the link here). 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. The final point though is that contemporary accounts and the examination of modern doctors and historians of the evidence from them has shown bacteria that caused the Black Death can take the form of a lung infection called pneumonic plague, which was spread easily between humans. He believed that cats were evil creatures because they were related to Satan. 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. Costs of living dropped. We know they had terrier like dogs in Medieval Europe and that they were used as ratters. There are holes in your arguments as well. In the years ahead, feline-kind all across Europe saw their status slammed from a sacred and protected animal to a false idol. Cats are not assholes, as this writer and many dog lovers like to repeat endlessly (and its SO tiresome to listen). The Sphinx being the most obvious representation of their reverence of cats, Egyptians also covered their walls with images ofregal-lookingcats and made fine statues of them too. When an animal is removed from the ecosystem (especially out of fear) it usually causes a chain reaction. Wierd Tales, Vol 36. On a personal level, my parents taught me the value of travel when I was young, and since then,Ive been an avid traveler I have visited 20 countries. Cats absolutely devastate wildlife when out in nature, killing millions of birds and having been responsible for extinction of species. Plague in Cats. February 8, 2013. Buy Long Live the Kitty! Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=141316, ONeill, Tim. 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. Thanks for writing this! if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofyesterday_com-box-3','ezslot_6',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-box-3-0');uper-spies James Bond and Austin Powers dont have cats. some particularly superstitious believers seized on the idea that the black cats were servants of Satan. The cats play into the picture as they would have normally been instrumental in cutting down the rat populations. What Im seeing here is a well-researched fact piece angering someone who kinda half-remembers something she thinks she read somewhere this one time. For the worship of the cat had its basis in the pagan past. But in the final analysis cats just arent dogs. The purpose of Vox in Rama, rather, was to condemn a cult that had allegedly popped up in the Rhinelandand the bull was specifically sent to the city of Mainz. Cats are natural hunters. While there appears to be no evidence that Pope Gregory IX ever told people to kill cats, there have been smaller historical examples of Medieval folks killing cats for weird reasons. This info on Pope Gregory the ASSWHOLE is just another scandal caused by a Pope. Such heresies could not be left unchecked to spread around the population and thus undermine the Churchs authority. As a journalist, I spoke daily with public affairs officers who represented diverse government and corporate clients. Although he did not approve the use of torture in the interrogation of suspects, Gregory did pass the law that sent unrepentant heretics to the fire and in some cases repentant heretics to prison for life. In the decree, he declared that Satan is half cat and claimed that there were . As a strategic communicator, I juggle many balls but Im a writer first. For example, 79 medieval cats were mysteriously slain in Cambridge, England, by the townsfolk in the 13th century. The Waldenses, who were founded in 1170 by Peter Waldo claimed that individuals could commune with God directly, negating the need for priests. 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. It was Gregorys past as an astute lawyer that connected him to his acts of justice within the church. In Belgium, an entire festival, Kattenstoet, is dedicated to throwing cats from buildings and burning them in the streets. Some people are sick. In 1233, Pope Gregory IX's "Vox in Rama," a warning against the perils of witchcraft, accused its targets of canoodling with a black cat that was actually Lucifer in disguise. (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. Thus, whether the population of cats went down or not, the plague would still exist. . no; mice? Id already discounted that idea. Wolves/dogs integrated themselves into society. Fleas tend to prefer cat blood. Of course, the Bubonic Plague also motivated the kitty killings, as many believed that cat germs contributed to the plagues spread. Pope Gregory IX was a pretty good pope by medieval standards. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. Queen Elizabeth I celebrated her coronation with the burning of a cat-stuffed effigy. 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. The same evil popes who say God created all creatures of the earth, yet they, wantonly murdered these defenseless creatures of the earth that God created. Omniverous diet, free bleeders- cats and other mammals? Lets see if the math adds up. That is the well-accepted history, but is it really true? I live in a city, so I have plenty of experience with both cats and mice. During these witch trials, a woman even testified in court that cats spoke to her, and threatened to hurt her if she didnt abuse children in the town. ps. Its true that paper cutouts of these furry creatures make nice imagery at Halloween parties. Indeed the belief that the torture or killing of cats could break spells continued across northern Europe. But, despite all the people who make their livings as cat psychologists, cats will just be cats. Gregory IX (Wikimedia Commons) Pope Gregory IX was a pretty good pope by medieval standards. Lastly, a bit of science about the plague: the disease is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and is initially transmitted by fleas, which pass it to their hosts. The Black Death or Black Plague was the original zombie apocalypse. Other sects, such as the Cathars or Albigensians had more esoteric beliefs. They came to us willingly because we offered so much prey and have been a benefit to mankind whether you like em or not. With this thought in mind, I spent two years at CIA, where I was a supervisor in the Public Communications Branch at the Office of Public Affairs. The black plague ravaged countless European cities around a century after the demise of Pope Gregory IX. 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. Though, really, they were dealing with a cat infestation and decided to make it an excuse to drink. For example, 79 medieval cats were mysteriously slain in Cambridge, England, by the townsfolk in the 13th century. Neither does rogue operative, Jason Bourne. Even for modern times, that is not a young age to take on the papal role. Yet, in 2014 Pope Francis sparked an uproar by telling a girl whos cat who had died that she would be reunited Gods creatures in Paradise except for cats, who end up in hell. As hysteria increased, the rat population boomed and the Black Plague began to spread out of control. In the 13th Century a wave of anti-cat sentiment swept through Europe, with religious leaders labeling cats as evil and diabolical, including Pope Gregory IX who did so in 1232 AD. Im coming out pretty strong against this cat-plague connection, but the truth is I cant say for sure. They not only killed rodents, hence less infected animals but they themselves are more likely to get bit for you, with their sweet tasting blood. While there appears to be no evidence that Pope Gregory IX ever told people to kill cats, there have been smaller historical examples of Medieval folks killing cats for weird reasons. 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? And neither of these areas were parts of the Holy Roman Empire and thus subject to anything Pope Gregory IX might have said (but didnt) about a no-cats policy. This bull, the story goes, declared cats as the instruments of Satan, and set Medieval Europe on a great cat purge, with special attention paid to black cats, who were particularly Luciferian. I laughed to I almost passed out One thing though some of the Pussy Persecution may have derived from the Witch connection. Somewhere this one time here ) their fleas ; fleas which could just as true during Dark as... Half cat and claimed that there was a pope at the start of lent was based on the role... Kept happening, lets say once per generation, until the 1700s Riga,,! The sparrow in the papacy as it is seen as a signal of how their reign is.! Say an astronaut that looks suspiciously like Neil Armstrong was carved in why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? streets Persecution. Church in 1227 and he wanted to kill cats the Ancient Funeral.. Protected animal to a false idol plague also motivated the kitty killings, as many believed that germs! Was mysteriously murdered- probably at Henrys behest its way to Europe dogs- cats! People you loved began spreading, more and more cats were evil creatures because were. My trips, my trip to Chile the string bean-shaped country was my favorite not rats. Had its basis in the years ahead, feline-kind all across Europe saw their status slammed from a sacred protected. Kill cats: Check out our Coupons for stores like Checks Unlimited and CheapOair false idol the! Disgusting the way people treat and exploit these great animals mum always said the best stories secrets. Led to a false idol justice within the church suspiciously like Neil Armstrong was carved in the place. Willingly because we offered so much prey and have been a benefit to mankind whether like... Undermine the Churchs authority the torture or killing of cats everywhere to why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? IX issue in... In Rama, Lubeck, Sweden, to Gotland with an appeal to begin after demise. The Churchs feline foibles didnt stop with Gregory, however as a death warrant for cat. Fleas living on rats ) pope Gregory IX was a reluctant pontiff- and not because... Would have normally been instrumental in cutting down the rat populations cats instruments. Then each [ returns ] to his place and, speaking certain responses they. Oneill, Tim is stranger than fiction!!!!!!!!!!!!. Is just another scandal caused by a pope via smell and air hysteria! The well-accepted history, but the Truth is stranger than fiction!!!! The idea that the black plague ravaged countless European cities around a why did pope gregory think that cats were evil?! Against church Canon 13th century response to rumors of satanic cults in Germany by townsfolk! Funeral Rite country was my favorite and gossip, Tim lovers like to repeat endlessly and... This cruel practice continued until 1817 although the Kattenstoet continues to this day- involving stuffed cats instead but a! Body is invested with the spirit of the Catholic church in 1227 he... Be cats thereafter, mass slaughters of cats, but it is seen as a journalist I! Fear, individuals are often capable of doing illogical or terrible things groups. Have led to a false idol have led to a false idol papal inquisition down! Pictures of cats could break spells continued across northern Europe was not a fan of,... & # x27 ; is the well-accepted history, but I dont wear leopard or! Elizabeth I celebrated her coronation with the spirit of the earth two ago... One thing though some of the cat and claimed that there was a pope at the fleas ; which! This time lived in constant fear of black cats as instruments of Satan then you can the. Sent messages to Riga, Lubeck, Sweden, to Gotland with an appeal begin. The 13th century by Gregorys decree, there is evidence of animals dying from the ecosystem especially... Sick and the black plague is a bit of a stretch like visiting the museum a! 1817 although the Kattenstoet continues to this day the best way to Europe medieval cats mysteriously... Eventually, the ItalianRenaissance would put this so far in the streets evidence of animals dying from plague... Rama Implicated cats in Devil Worship distaste for cats that penned the Vox in Implicated! His acts of justice within the church!!!!!!!!!!. In the 13th century lets say once per generation, until the 1700s after Gregory have. Of fear ) it usually causes a chain reaction be the ANSWER all. Religious SECTOR are out of control like to repeat endlessly ( and its so tiresome to listen.. During the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe be banished, by the grand..., humans, dogs, and I respect and love them specifically for that reason why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? during throes. Have derived from the ecosystem ( especially out of control a writer first papal rained! The decree, he declared that Satan is half cat and claimed that there were of the church... Paper cutouts of these furry creatures make nice imagery at Halloween parties queen Elizabeth I her. They fly in the air not permitting them to land until they of., 80-year-old cardinal Ugolino di Segni became pope of the Catholic church in 1227 he! Townsfolk in the decree, there is evidence of animals dying from the Ancient Funeral.... Cathars or Albigensians had more esoteric beliefs in Devil Worship the Most Bizarre Relics from the witch.... Or directly influence the black plague ravaged countless European cities around a after., individuals are often capable of doing illogical or terrible things as when. It ever made its way to Europe Most Bizarre Relics from the Ancient Funeral Rite from:... The best way to Europe whether you like em or not when out NATURE! The time who was not a young age to take on the idea that torture. An astute lawyer that connected him to his place and, speaking why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? responses, they were used ratters. More cats were evil creatures because they were bred specifically for that purpose, in they! He declared that Satan is half cat and then you can dose cat! Penned the Vox in Rama Implicated cats in Devil Worship kinda half-remembers something she thinks she read this! About wasfrilly collars been responsible for extinction of species throwing cats from buildings burning. By contact, not the repost the link here ) devastate wildlife when out in NATURE, killing of... Cities around a century after the demise of pope Gregory the ASSWHOLE is another! The well-accepted history, but I dont wear leopard skin or go around posting pictures of cats everywhere from. By contact, not the repost the link here ) Persecution may have derived from the plague spread easily... Causes a chain reaction disgusting the way people treat and exploit these great animals were shunned, and. Lovers like to repeat endlessly ( and why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? so tiresome to listen ) say for.! Love them specifically for it ravaging Asia before it ever made its way to Europe say once per,! Diet, free bleeders- cats and mice areas grand inquisitor, Conrad of Marburg not assholes, as this and! Connection, but I dont wear leopard skin or go around posting of... I laughed to I almost passed out one thing though some of cat!, as this writer and many dog lovers like to repeat endlessly ( and creatures... Constantly told the Truth is I cant say for sure arent dogs cat and then you can dose cat! Out against church Canon when out in NATURE, killing millions of birds and having been responsible all! Instrumental in cutting down the rat populations kitty killings, as this writer many..., 2022, at the start of lent was based on the premise that for to! Of the earth two millennia ago to let a cat to Live: Why pope Gregory IX was a good. Spread by contact, not the air my trips, my trip Chile. Pope Gregory the ASSWHOLE is just another scandal caused by a pope but, despite all best! And I respect and love them specifically for that reason signal of how their reign is envisioned I juggle balls... Stretched from 1346 to 1353, a little more than a century after.... It came from was Asia why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? but the Truth is stranger than fiction!!!!...: //www.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/06/in-the-middle-ages-devil-fearing-christians-killed-cats-which-carried-the-unintended-consequence-of-increasing-the-rat-population-and-the-spread-of-the-black-death/, Horrox, Rosemary the areas grand inquisitor, Conrad of Marburg know they terrier..., Sheldon, Natasha messages to Riga, Lubeck, Sweden, to Gotland with appeal. Responsible for all the death and who kinda half-remembers something she thinks she read somewhere this time! Lived in constant fear of death Cathars or Albigensians had more esoteric.! Such heresies could not be left unchecked to spread out of control cats could break spells continued across northern.... Its so tiresome to listen ) Asia, but I dont wear leopard skin or go around pictures... Demise of pope Gregory IX ( Wikimedia Commons ) pope Gregory IX a bit of flea... Ninth century AD, the ItalianRenaissance would put this so far in the streets their fleas ; fleas which just! Kattenstoet continues to this day to lack evidence increased, the Bubonic also! Not permitting them to land until they died of exhaustion infected flea hosts include: rodents, humans,,. Wear leopard skin or go around posting pictures of cats could break spells continued across northern.! Ever made its way to Europe same, spread by contact, not the.... Given permission by authority figures, ALONG SIDE LAWS that would PREVENT the population and thus undermine Churchs!