But how did cats become to be seen as evil? When I was a kid, my mom thought that Id have my own talk show because I was always asking people lots of questions about themselves. Literally no cats. Meanwhile, they need that meat on the regular and know how to get it, so theyre great at killing and eating vermin. 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. Purina, the multinational firm known for making cat chow, notes that, Egyptians have had a long love affair with cats. I adore cats, they are so zen. There are many variables to navigate to make this assertion, but it doesnt look good for Gregory. 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? How then could he have impacted the good people of the 1300s? Both, however, rendered the Catholic Church redundant. Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges pilgrims during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 4, 2009. What effects did it have? as a dvm (research quickly with phd, now DO, but still love animals) I agree about cat fanatics but this loser has all wrong about the need for cats to kill the Y Pestis flea vector rats; also, that species of flea does not infest on cats or dogs- their anticoagulant is perfect match for RATTUS NORweigica, and humans; not even mice suit them; his map of plague is laughingly inaccurate. Cats and the Black Plague. I have no idea where you get the idea that cats place is in the wild. Cats were later blamed for the Black Death (13461352), though rats were actually the culprit. This is mainly because the black plague ravaged Asia before it goes on its way to Europe. (along with other predators including snakes, which had long since carried the label of being evil). (Accessed June 1, 2018). Ugolino chooses the name Gregory IX, as he assumed the office at the monastery of St. Gregory ad Septem Solia and fully embracing the papal supremacy policy following the footsteps of Gregory VII and Innocent III. The papal inquisition rained down justice on heretics, the people who spoke out against church canon. 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. Denmarks Fastelavn held at the start of lent was based on the premise that for spring to begin, evil had to be banished. STOP W/ THE BABIES ALREADY. Following years brought the great plaque of insects! Gregory's missionary zeal among the Franks and the Anglo-Saxons in England was the first step in a process that would culminate with Charlemagne's coronation in Rome on Christmas Day in AD 800.. At the same time Benedictine monks led by Augustine were sent to Kent to convert the pagan King Ethelbert and his people, other missionaries from . In the Middle Ages, devil-fearing Christians killed cats, which carried the unintended consequence of increasing the rat population and the spread of the Black Death. Wikimedia Commons. When I graduated college,I began living my own dream as a reporter for a news media outlet. It is also doubtful that one papal bull sent to Mainz can influence the whole European stage. This bull, the story goes, declared cats as the instruments of Satan, and set Medieval Europe on a great cat purge, with special attention paid to black cats, who were particularly Luciferian. I laughed to I almost passed out One thing though some of the Pussy Persecution may have derived from the Witch connection. If the Black Death was airborne, then rats had nothing to do with it, exonerating Gregory. And whatever else fleas like to nosh on.8. Reply . For Conrad in his quest for heretics around Mainz and Hildesheim claimed to have uncovered a Luciferian cult. Terriers were also used for that purpose, in fact they were bred specifically for it. Black Death. That evil came to be neatly personified in the form of black cats that were beaten to death to purge the new season of evil spirits. There is little real evidence for this. Gregory IX was the head of the Catholic Church from 1227 to 1241. I AGREE. A 'bulla' is the seal on the papal bull. Im not saying it was a great time to be alive, but it was a more complex time than people give it credit for. But in the final analysis cats just arent dogs. In 2021, I dont think that most Catholics or people of other religious believe that cats are evil. Consider a quote from Rastafari leader Haile Selassie; Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted, the indifference of those who should have known better, the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph. Iz just as true during Dark Ages as iz now. Interestingly enough, Halloween originally a pagan celebration also has Catholic roots in the form of All Hallows Eve, that is the Vigil of All Saints Day, when Catholics remember those who have gone before them to enter their heavenly home. 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? While there is no evidence that cats in medieval England were persecuted, their mousing skills were likened to the devils ability to catch souls, with the fifteenth-century merchant William Caxton remarking how the devil playeth ofte with the synnar, lyke as the catte doth with the mous. Some historians believe that the persecutions across Europe so depleted cat numbers that mouse- and rat-catching by cats diminished- one of the reasons why the Bubonic Plague took such a deadly hold in Europe during the fourteenth century. 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 . Cats just arent dogs, and I respect and love them specifically for that reason. no; mice? *Coupons: Check out our coupons for stores like Checks Unlimited and CheapOair! The fleas just love cat blood so much more than ours. People can make all manner of animals do what we likewe can teach oxen to plow, dogs to fetch game, elephants to paint, and ravens to hold grudges.2 But you cant make a cat do anything. For the worship of the cat had its basis in the pagan past. Great read! Pope Gregory IX did issue a papal bull, . The fleas will jump on to the cat and then you can dose the cat to kill them. The Bull arose in response to rumors of satanic cults in Germany by the areas grand inquisitor, Conrad of Marburg. You wouldnt hate that, would you? Remember: Egyptians were known for being cat lovers, and Asia is where cats originally came from. They came to us willingly because we offered so much prey and have been a benefit to mankind whether you like em or not. Poor cats though. According to Pope Gregory IX, cats were the embodiment of the devil himself. Pope Gregory XII (Latin: Gregorius XII; Italian: Gregorio XII; c. 1327 - 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario, or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. This sudden lack of cats led to an increase in rat infestation which in turn increased the spread of disease, the most devastating being the Bubonic Plague. I do support single mothers though, especially those willing to give me 2 for 1 lapdance specials, but I digress. Thanks for publishing! Pope Benedict died Dec. 31, 2022, at the age of 95 in his residence at the . Wikimedia Commons. Interesting article. It was Gregorys past as an astute lawyer that connected him to his acts of justice within the church. But some of their adversaries do. Conrads methods, however, yielded results and in 1231, the Archbishops of Trier and Mainz wrote to the Pope, full of praise for their heretic catcher. Pope Gregory IX, who held the papacy from 1227 to 1241, most definitely fell in the second camp largely because he believed that the fluffy hairball-hackers embodied Lucifer himself. https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp. It kept happening, lets say once per generation, until the 1700s. Wages rose fast in the absence of labor. That, or he was a true believer, or both. Henry was acquitted when he appealed to the bishop of Mainz and later that year Marburg himself was mysteriously murdered- probably at Henrys behest. As one might have predicted, thereafter, mass slaughters of cats blanked Europe. Cats are natural hunters. 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. For years there was a debate if the Black Death and the Bubonic Plague were the same, adding speculation to the rat spreading theory. Writing is my first love. These new, heretical beliefs varied. BELIEVE! But myths often transcend evidence, dont they? In the meantime, accusations of witchcraft began to spread amongst the ordinary people, as a way of settling grudges or seizing property and cats began to be used as proof of satanic association. 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. Firstly, they are greeted by an abnormally large frog or toad, whose behind they must kiss and then a man of fearful pallor and thinness whose task was to suck out every last remnant of faith in the Catholic Church from their soul. Retrieved from http://www.kattenstoet.be/en/page/497-511/the-cat-throwing.html, MedicineNet.com. First the novice, then the master, then each one of the order who are worthy and perfect, kiss the cat on its buttocks. And thats the official take on Halloween from theVatican News. Others posit that the smaller geoglyphs were used as location markers for travelers. This demonization led to the widespread, violent persecution of black cats in particular. People banged drums and kept the sparrow in the air not permitting them to land until they died of exhaustion! Summary. Cats Blamed for Spreading the Plague During the Middle Ages, it wasn't uncommon for cats to be killed, given their association with evil, Compora says. This was seen as a critical time as the sixth crusade had recently been defeated in Damietta, Egypt. I like cats, but I dont wear leopard skin or go around posting pictures of cats everywhere. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',111,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');Ancient Peruvians may have been attracted to cats in a way similar to Egyptians. These inferences have led to a story that appears to lack evidence. (dogma defined as the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology, or any kind of organization: it is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from). Omniverous diet, free bleeders- cats and other mammals? So, rather than being a document banning cats from Europe, it was a letter sent to a city warning them about a cult. A critical time as the sixth crusade had recently been defeated in Damietta, Egypt kill them was when! 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