Vatican City: Pope Francis Asks Forgiveness For Catholic Church's Persecution Of Waldensians

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"On behalf of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness for the un-Christian and even inhumane positions and actions taken against you historically."

Pope Francis shakes hands with Eugenio Bernardini of the Waldensian Church

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Huffington Post
By Reuters Philip Pullella | June 28, 2015

Pope Francis asked forgiveness on Monday for the Roman Catholic Church's "non-Christian and inhumane" treatment in the past of the Waldensians, a tiny Protestant movement the Vatican tried to exterminate in the 15th century.

Francis made his plea during the first ever visit by a pope to a Waldensian temple on the second day of a trip to Italy's northern Piedmont region, the centre of the Waldensian Church, which has only about 30,000 followers worldwide.

While the movement is miniscule compared to the 1.2 billion member Roman Catholic Church, the gesture is part of Francis' drive to promote Christian unity and it has taken on added significance ahead of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in 2017.

"On behalf of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness for the un-Christian and even inhumane positions and actions taken against you historically," he said. "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forgive us!"

The Waldensians, who now live mostly in Italy and Latin America, were founded by Peter Waldo in France in the late 12th century. He gave up his wealth and preached poverty but as the movement grew it came into increasing theological conflict with the papacy.

The movement, an early precursor of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, was branded as heretical and in 1487 Pope Innocent VIII ordered its extermination.

Some 1,700 Waldensians were killed in 1655 by Catholic forces commanded by the Duke of Savoy.

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