While I dont have any cats my allergist says owning a cat for me is worse for my lungs than chain smoking Ive long revered cats. 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 fleas will jump on to the cat and then you can dose the cat to kill them. 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. Cats breed quickly, know how to survive on their own, and are hard to catch. The plague spread so easily that everyone back in the medieval age believes that the plague transfer via smell and air. They fly in the face of the Christian idea of God putting the natural world and its creatures here for humanitys benefit. These inferences have led to a story that appears to lack evidence. why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? 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. Pope Gregory IX (Source: les.tresors.de.lys.free.fr) Dogs are sweet but they dont really have that self respect that cats do. 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. Denmark's Fastelavn held at the start of lent was based on the premise that for spring to begin, evil had to be banished. Cats were later blamed for the Black Death (13461352), though rats were actually the culprit. It was one of the most deadly pandemics in history. Just want to add that I like pretty much all animals, even dogs, but I am a cat person. Where do we get our stuff? designs at:Threadless.com and Zazzle, Why Cats Were (Wrongly) Blamed for the Black Plague in Europe. Where once these creatures had been common household animals, they were now regarded as dangerous, unpredictable and demonic. 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. Honestly, I feel like even thinking that the cathunt resulted or directly influence the black plague is a bit of a stretch. They catch cockroaches, snakes, and scorpions too. The novice kisses him and feels cold, [like] ice, and after the kiss the memory of the [C]atholic faith totally disappears from his heart. Also, the Plague was not carried by rats, but fleas, which can latch onto any animal. Missionary Activity under Pope Gregory the Great. Actually, the murder of cats in Europe continued for hundreds of years, and another Plague swept through Europe again in the 17th Century. And thats the official take on Halloween from theVatican News. WHY DONT U WRITE A SONG ABOUT THE PLAGUE THAT RAVAGED THE POPULATION OF HUMANS INSTEAD, BECAUSE THEY GOT WHAT WAS COMING TO THEM ALL. 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 . For some reason, we find the idea that our ancestors were dumb rather appealing. Scientists back in the 19th century found out that the real transmission is through touch, and the most common carrier of the disease is the natural enemy to the previously butchered feline friend the rats. 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. When an animal is removed from the ecosystem (especially out of fear) it usually causes a chain reaction. That was the first church document condemning black cats as instruments of satan. 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. ABORTION SHOULD BE THE ANSWER IN ALL COUNTRIES, ALONG SIDE LAWS THAT WOULD PREVENT THE POPULATION GROWTH FROM EXPANDING . As it went into the fourth and fifth years ! The most you can say about cats from this papal bull is that they are perhaps among the icons worshipped by a Satanic cult. Cats are awesome rodent hunters. Conrad had initially been involved in the persecution of the Cathars and enjoyed significant successes during the Albigensian crusade of 1209 -1229. Buy Long Live the Kitty! (Accessed June 1, 2018). Zealousness is a common occurrence in medieval times, the same thing goes for Gregory IX. Both, however, rendered the Catholic Church redundant. For example, 79 medieval cats were mysteriously slain in Cambridge, England, by the townsfolk in the 13th century. 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. In this case, with no cats around, disease-carrying rats multiplied like crazy, spreading the Plague. Gregory IX was the head of the Catholic Church from 1227 to 1241. This isa cautionary tale to all you cat haters out there. Im on the fence about getting an electronic cat that responds to touch (i.e., purring, meowing and flicking its robotic tail) but I can see why Egyptians of antiquity fell in love with cats. Public Domain. Either way, his account cant be true. They definitely dont stop fleas. He informed the Pope of his findings. Once the initial hysteria died down, cats, like the would-be witches were left alone for a time, giving them time to repopulate- and remained prolific enough to continue to be culled. Required fields are marked *. Pope Benedict died Dec. 31, 2022, at the age of 95 in his residence at the . DeAgostini/Getty Images. But today, the association between cats and Halloween persist, perhaps ironically because spurious associations between cats and Satan worshiping that the Catholic Church pushed, some 800 years ago. We have detected that you are using extensions to block ads. Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. He was born Ugolino di Conti but took the name Gregory when he becamethe pope. Home chairman meow wisdom Why Cats Were (Wrongly) Blamed for the Black Plague in Europe. For one, rate outnumber cats by a huge margin, like everywhere, and always have. Welcome to BELIEVE.art, home of Revolutionary Artist & Warrior-Poet, Chairman Meow. Now this seems like a story of immense fiction but as it happened so recently in this modern time we have documented proof this is true so why is it so hard to believe the Pope and cat story? (Accessed May 31, 2018). Without them, pests would run wild, and not just rats. 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. Of course, the Bubonic Plague also motivated the kitty killings, as many believed that cat germs contributed to the plagues spread. Then each [returns] to his place and, speaking certain responses, they incline their heads toward to cat. Heretical beliefs were on the rise at the time, . BUT HUMANS , NOT SO. For he had inherited the problem of heresies which were blossoming across thirteenth century Christian Europe and challenging the universal church. To learn more about me and my digital travels, visit myTwitterpage. 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. (2017, February 6). Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Vox-in-Rama-authentic-What-effects-did-it-have, Sheldon, Natasha. As I learned at the Profs and Pints event, cats persist as a marker of femininity in the media and our language of pop culture. 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. Some people are sick. While there were no immediate effects of the unjust cathunt, Europe will be affected in the years to come, with the rise of the Bubonic Plague. Great read! It was his distaste for cats that penned the Vox in Rama. CATS ARE BETTER THAN PEOPLE. This info on Pope Gregory the ASSWHOLE is just another scandal caused by a Pope. The Black Plague did happen. People banged drums and kept the sparrow in the air not permitting them to land until they died of exhaustion! I adore cats, they are so zen. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Museum Hack leads small group, VIP museum tours that are fun, fast-paced and surprisingly cool. What effects did it have? Learn how cats first spread around the world. People in medieval Ypres, Belgium, had a festival called Kattenstoet where theyd throw cats from the belfry tower to symbolize the killing of evil spirits. This was seen as a critical time as the sixth crusade had recently been defeated in Damietta, Egypt. Indeed the belief that the torture or killing of cats could break spells continued across northern Europe. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. As hysteria increased, the rat population boomed and the Black Plague began to spread out of control. 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. They were shunned, persecuted and often killed by people who feared that they . The Bubonic plague was carried not by rats themselves but their fleas; fleas which could just as easily transfer to dogs- and cats. 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. A quick Google search shows that a felinefemme fatalecat mask is conveniently available on Amazon for only $25.22. Pope Gregory IX did not say cats are evil, and did not order people to kill cats. A 'bulla' is the seal on the papal bull. Thanks, If you survived, you lost many people you loved. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_4',119,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Im definitely tracking the cat worship concept. As a journalist, I spoke daily with public affairs officers who represented diverse government and corporate clients. 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. For he had inherited the problem of heresies which were blossoming across thirteenth century Christian Europe and challenging the 'universal' church. Even for modern times, that is not a young age to take on the papal role. Which means that killing off the rats main predators was probably not the best idea. Yeah you have a good point there! 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. We may still see the effects of the mass cat slaughter today: Its been suggested that the small black cat population in Europe today is a direct result of that breed being deemed particularly devil-like. Sweet Home Alabama Lyrics: What Does Muscle Shoals Has Got the Swampers Mean? In those days, papal inquisitors extracted confessions from prisoners that they worshiped the devil and his black cat by torturing them vigorously. Pope Gregory IV (Latin: Gregorius IV; died 25 January 844) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from October 827 to his death. I would suggest that theres more to the story. Ugolino assumes the mantle of the pope immediately in the papal election of 1227 after the death of Pope Honorius III (Conrad of Urach was chosen initially, but declined). The truth is a little messy. 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. Lead bulla of Gregory IX. A witch and her cat. It is also doubtful that one papal bull sent to Mainz can influence the whole European stage. We accept this storythat we humans once crossed cats and it resulted in one in three of us dyingbecause it just feels rignt. Wikimedia Commons. 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). Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges pilgrims during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 4, 2009. A pandemic so severe that it kills more than 50 million people in Europe in a couple of years, and killed more than 200 million people worldwide. People living during this time lived in constant fear of death. 23 April 2018, Vox in Rama, Pope Gregory IX, uoregon.edu, Conrad of Marburg, Kevin Knight, Catholic Encyclopaedia, 2017, Was there a great Cat Massacre in the Middle Ages? Was considering writing a song about the folly of feline flaying, now Im not so sure. I do support single mothers though, especially those willing to give me 2 for 1 lapdance specials, but I digress. He therefore gave his official blessing to the widespread persecution of cats across Europe. The Vox described the depraved rituals of the cult in detail, portraying the devil worshipped by the witches as a shadowy half cat and half man figure. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. 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. Some kiss this creature on the hind quarters and some on the mouth, they receive the tongue and saliva of the beast inside their mouths. Not sure I am convinced either way, but people (especially those who prefer dogs) do like to hate on cats, so it is not a stretch to believe that they have been killed en masse in any era. The theory that plague pandemics happen amidst a cat vacuum doesnt hold up: Europe didnt keep its cat population depleted for nearly 500 years. (2016, May 4). On June 13, 1233, Pope Gregory IX instigated the first bull of his papacy: the Vox in Rama. In an era when unknown phenomena seemed like they could only be explained by powerful deities, it seemed only natural to the Egyptians to worship kitty cats. For example To understand why suspicions of cats persist, you need to go back to the 13th Century, whenPope Gregory IXhad a definite opinion of cats and it wasnt a positive one. This persecution was so savage that some scholars believe that by the 1300s, Europes cat numbers were sufficiently depleted to prevent them efficiently killing rats and mice- thus allowing the bubonic plague to spread. How then could he have impacted the good people of the 1300s? (Accessed June 1, 2018). Gregory believed him. 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. He also became the first Pope to appoint inquisitors to actively root out such heretics. 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. In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX, pope from 1227-1241, believed that cats actually carried the spirit of Satan himself within them. But some of their adversaries do. Pope Gregory IX did issue a papal bull, . 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. 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. Sometimes it appears unduly large, and sometimes equivalent to a goose or a duck, and sometimes it even assumes the size of an oven. BELIEVE! 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. Plague. The population of Europe drops from 80 million to around 30 million by the time the black death subsides, some cities even saw a decrease of more than 70% of their population, few, such as a village called Quob, lost their entire population. 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. That is not a young age to take on Halloween from theVatican.! Wrongly ) Blamed for the cat and then you can dose the cat they perhaps! That our ancestors were dumb rather appealing latch onto any animal in the persecution of cats Europe! Responses, they were now regarded as dangerous, unpredictable and demonic want add. Honestly, I feel like even thinking that the Plague ANSWER in COUNTRIES. Donald Engel believes that the torture or killing of cats could break spells continued northern! 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