Question

Which Pope authorized the Inquisition to pursue witchcraft as a form of heresy, and in what year?

A) Pope Innocent VIII in 1484
B) Pope Gregory IX in 1231
C) Pope Alexander VI in 1501
D) Pope Clement VII in 1525

Answer 1

Pope Innocent VIII authorized the Inquisition to pursue witchcraft as heresy in 1484, intensifying the persecutions that had been part of the Church's efforts to maintain religious uniformity since the early 13th century.

Step-by-step explanation:

Inquisition and Witchcraft :

Pope Innocent VIII authorized the Inquisition to pursue witchcraft as a form of heresy in the year 1484. This was a significant extension of the papal effort to impose religious homogeneity through the Inquisition, which began earlier in the 13th century with Pope Gregory IX. The witch hunts were part of a larger context of persecution against heretics and other dissidents within Christendom, which would involve methods such as torture and confiscation of property.

Pope Innocent IV, a predecessor of Innocent VIII, had earlier authorized the use of torture against suspected heretics in 1252, intensifying the severity of the Inquisition. It's important to note that the Inquisition aimed at establishing orthodoxy, and any form of deviation, including alleged witchcraft, was met with harsh scrutiny and punishment.