Vatican City, Jun 14, 2004 / 22:00 pm
A volume entitled “The Inquisition,” based on the Symposium on the subject that took place in the Vatican in 1998 was presented this morning by Cardinals Roger Etchegaray, former president of the Central Committee of the Grand Jubilee of the Year 2000, Jean-Louis Tauran, archivist and librarian of Holy Roman Church and George Cottier, O.P., pro-theologian of the Pontifical Household.
The Holy Father wrote a message on the occasion affirming that the symposium and presentation of the volume responds concretely to a desire expressed in the Apostolic Letter “Tertio Millennio Adveniente (1994)”:
"As the second millennium of Christianity comes to an end, it is appropriate therefore that the Church assumes a greater awareness of the sins of its sons and daughters when recalling the circumstances in which, throughout history, they deviated from the spirit of Christ and His Gospel, offering to the world the spectacle of ways of thinking and acting that were true forms of 'counter-witness and scandal', instead of witness to a life inspired by the values of faith."
"In public opinion," writes the Pope, "the image of the Inquisition represents in some way the symbol of this counter-witness and scandal. In what measure is this image faithful to reality?”