Chapter 6

Unmasking Catholicism

Mary Ann Collins, a former Catholic nun

Chapter 6
Spiritual Coercion

Pope Innocent III reigned from 1198 to 1216. He excommunicated Markward of Anweiler. In passing the sentence of excommunication, Innocent declared that he anathematized Markward, cursed him, and damned him to Hell.1

Innocent and other popes ruled over kings, emperors, and noblemen by using the "spiritual weapons" of excommunication and interdict. Excommunicated people are cut off from the Catholic Church and from the sacraments. Catholics who are placed under interdict remain members of the Catholic Church, but most of the sacraments are denied to them. (You can read this online.)2

These "weapons" were effective, because Roman Catholics believed that the Pope had the power to deprive them of the grace that they needed in order to get to Heaven. Catholics believed that the Catholic Church and the sacraments were necessary for salvation. Therefore, a sentence of excommunication was seen as being a sentence to Hell. It had a powerful impact on individuals and on entire nations.

I live in America. In our modern, western society, we are used to thinking independently. It is not unusual for Catholics to believe some Catholic doctrines, but to disbelieve (or just ignore) others. (According to Catholic doctrine, this approach is heretical—but most "cafeteria Catholics" probably don't realize that.) Therefore, it may be difficult for us to understand the terror caused by excommunication, and the power that this "spiritual weapon" gave to the popes.

In 1014, Pope Leo IX excommunicated the entire Orthodox Church. This means that, according to Catholic theology, every single Orthodox priest, nun, layman, and laywoman was damned to Hell unless he or she repented and submitted to the Catholic Pope. "Infallible" popes and "infallible" Catholic Church councils have declared that there is no salvation apart from the Roman Catholic Church. (Information is online.)3

In 1965, Pope Paul VI removed that excommunication. I'm grateful that he removed it. However, that does not change the fact that, for 951 years, every single Orthodox Christian lived and died under that curse.

Interdicts are applied to large groups of people, including entire nations. Baptism and the "last rites" (extreme unction) are allowed, but all other sacraments are forbidden. Church services and Christian burial are also forbidden. If the Pope is in conflict with a secular ruler, then he can put the ruler's subjects under interdict, in order to get them to put pressure on their ruler. It works. The ruler's Catholic subjects become desperate to get the interdict removed. They put pressure on their ruler, to get him to submit to the Pope, so that the Pope will remove the interdict.4

It works. But at what price? What happens to the innocent people who had nothing to do with the conflict between their ruler and the Pope? They are allowed to receive the "last rites," but that only works for people who know that they are dying. What about people who die suddenly and unexpectedly? Because of the interdict, they were not able to have a priest absolve them of their sins. According to Catholic doctrine, if they have committed a mortal sin, and they have not had that sin be absolved by a priest, then they will go to Hell.

So in effect, popes were willing to send people to Hell, in order to get political power over secular rulers. Whether or not they actually had the power to send people to Hell is beside the point. They thought that they had the power, and they were willing to use it.

Interdicts were used primarily during the Middle Ages. However, as we will see, the interdict was used as recently as 1962.

Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) used interdicts, and the threat of interdicts, 85 times, in order to force secular rulers to submit to him. He put entire nations unter interdict. He was so successful that kings declared that the Pope was their feudal lord. For example, King John of England became the vassal of the Pope and paid him an annual tribute. Innocent declared that the English Magna Carta was immoral. The Pope declared it to be null and void, and he excommunicated everyone who supported it. (You can read about this online.)5 The Magna Carta established the principle that kings are not above the law. It was the beginning of democracy in England. It also influenced the men who wrote the Constitution of the United States.

Innocent III wore clothes covered with gold and jewels. He made kings and cardinals kiss his foot. (You can read about this online.)6 In the papal bull, Deliberatio, Innocent declared that kings and princes were subject to him. (This encyclical is online.)7

Pope Boniface VIII reigned from 1294 to 1303. On November 18, 1302, he issued the papal bull, Unam Sanctam, in which he declared that the Pope has both spiritual and worldly power. Boniface declared that there is no salvation apart from submission to the Pope. (This encyclical is online.)8

One of the most famous incidents of excommunication occurred when Pope Gregory VII excommunicated the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV. In order to receive forgiveness from the Pope, and have the excommunication be removed, the Emperor had to spend three days repenting in front of the castle where the Pope was staying. It was bitter cold (January 1077). Henry spent most of his time kneeling in the ice and snow, weeping and pleading for forgiveness. When Pope Gregory finally allowed Emperor Henry to come into the castle, he publicly humiliated him. (You can read about this online.)9

Pope Gregory VII declared that the Pope has the right to depose kings and emperors, to make laws, and to require secular rulers to kiss his foot. He said that nobody has the right to judge the Pope.10

Excommunication and interdicts are not ancient history. The authority, and the procedure for exercising it, exist today. Pope John Paul II issued a new edition of Roman Catholic Canon Law in 1983. (Canon Law is a collection of laws that govern the Catholic Church.) Canons 1331 and 1332 deal with punishments for people who have been excommunicated or placed under interdict. Canons 1364 to 1399 deal with penalties for "delicts" (offenses against Canon Law). These penalties include being excommunicated or placed under interdict. (You can read these laws online.)11

Coercing Voters in 1962

A modern example of spiritual coercion is the 1962 election in Malta (a small island in the Mediterranean Sea, near Sicily).

Dr. Mark F. Montebello is a Catholic priest from the Island of Malta. He wrote a series of three articles called, "Civil Rights in Malta's Post-Colonial Age." The third article describes how the Archbishop of Malta required Malta's Catholic priests to help him prevent Catholics from voting for Mintoff (the Labor Party candidate) in Malta's 1962 election.

According to Dr. Montebello, the Archbishop instructed the priests to use the sacrament of confession to coerce the consciences of Catholic voters. He ordered the priests to threaten people with eternal damnation. He also endorsed literature that contained "medieval intimidations" (the kind of spiritual coercion that was used during the Middle Ages). (You can read about this online.)12

The Catholic Church officially declared that it was a mortal sin to vote for Mintoff. Priests who failed to cooperate were silenced. Some of them were forced to leave Malta and become missionaries in foreign countries. (This information is online.)13

Maltese Catholics who voted for Mintoff were placed under interdict. It became a mortal sin to vote for Mintoff. Catholics who voted for Mintoff were banned from church life and from the sacraments. They were denied a Christian burial. Instead, they were buried in a section of the cemetery that was called "the rubbish dump," implying that the soul of the dead person was damned. A citizen of Malta recounts:

"The Catholic Church used the pulpit, the confessional, the media and even public meetings in its vigorous campaign. I asked my father about his experience. When he went to confession, the priest asked him how he intended to vote in the general election and refused to give him absolution." (This quotation is from an online article.)14

The Catholic Church categorizes sins as either mortal sins (the most serious kind) or venial sins (which are considered to be less serious).15 According to Catholic doctrine, if a person dies in a state of mortal sin, then he or she is damned to Hell.16 In order for a mortal sin to be forgiven, a Catholic must go to confession and receive absolution from a priest.17 However, if Catholics are under interdict, then they are not allowed to receive the sacraments, and therefore they cannot receive absolution for their sins. (This information is online. See Notes 15 to 17.)

So what happened to Maltese Catholics who voted for Mintoff? According to the Catholic Church, they committed a mortal sin when they voted for Mintoff. As a result of voting for Mintoff, they were placed under interdict. Therefore, they could not have that mortal sin be absolved by a Catholic priest. As a result, they probably died (or will die) in a state of mortal sin. According to Catholic doctrine, people who die in a state of mortal sin go to Hell.

There is one exception. Catholics who are under interdict are allowed to receive the "last rites." However, in order to do this, several things have to happen. They must be in imminent danger of dying, so that they qualify to receive the "last rites." In spite of being near death, they must be in good enough shape mentally and physically to be able to look for a priest (or to ask friends or family members to look for a priest). They must be able to find a priest who is willing to help them. And the priest must arrive in time to give them the "last rites" before they die. According to Catholic doctrine, this means the difference between spending eternity in Heaven or Hell.

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