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Unfortunately, yes. The Catholic Church was prepared to kill members of any Christian group that threated their monopoly on power. The most bloody example was the slaughter of the Cathars, a Gnostic Christian sect in southern France during the Middle Ages.

In 1099, the First Crusade, established under papal authority, took Jerusalem and massacred the population, regardless of whether Muslim, Jewish or Christian, saying that God could decide their fate in the next life. The People's Crusade of 1096 attacked the Hungarian city of Semlin and burnt Belgrade, before being escorted across the Bosporus by Byzantine guides.

It is well known that the Catholic Church instituted a pogrom against those accused of witchcraft, eventually resulting in the torture and execution of thousands of innocent women. At first this could at least be justified by the superstition of the time. Gradually the inquisitions degenerated to the point that women were accused and executed so that their wealth could be seized, while in other cases they were allowed to go free in return for handing over property or for sexual favours. This is one of the saddest chapters in Catholic history.

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15y ago

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