Which pope ordered the killing of cats?

Gregory IX
So while the funny and interesting part of the life of Gregory IX is that he called for the killing of cats he also had quite an eventful time while in the papacy. Being the nephew of Pope Innocent III and having studied theology at the University of Paris Ugo was from a young age very into his spiritual side.

Does the Pope like cats?

Pope Benedict the Cat Lover Pope Benedict XVI is a well-known cat lover, and has two as pets. Chico, a black-and-white domestic short hair, lives at his home in Tübingen, Germany. There is also a multi-colored tabby that hangs around the residence, according to Agnes Heindl, long-time housekeeper to the pope’s brother.

Are cats banned from the Vatican?

Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. Because the powers that be dictated that the cat composed one of the main identifiers of a witch, the Church officially excommunicated the entire species.

Which pope caused the Black Plague?

He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Black Death (1348–1350), during which he granted remission of sins to all who died of the plague….

Why Cats were hated in medieval Europe?

Cats in medieval Europe mostly had a bad reputation – they were associated with witches and heretics, and it was believed that the devil could transform himself into a black cat. By the twelfth-century this association with the devil became even more ingrained. …

Can popes have pets?

Officially, the popes not supposed to have pets because there is a strict rule in the Vatican that no live animals of any kind are permitted, except for specific service animals, such as guide dogs.

Did Pope Gregory IX cause the plague?

In fact, there is some evidence that the Bubonic may even have originated there. So, it seems highly unlikely that the plague came to Europe due to Pope Gregory IX starting an anti-cat purge. Love them or hate them, cats probably had nothing to with the plague.

What did Pope Gregory IX do?

During his relatively short tenure as pope, Gregory IX (ca. 1145-1241) named many new cardinals, established the medieval Inquisition, promulgated a code of canon law, and twice excommunicated Roman Emperor Frederick II.

Can cats get the bubonic plague?

The most common presentation of plague in cats is bubonic plague. Cats with bubonic plague usually have fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, and an enlarged lymph node that may be abscessed and draining.

Why do French hate cats?

In the Middle Ages in Western Europe, cats were considered companions of sorcerers and witches. For this reason, the animals were tortured and mass-burned. Especially in this, France and Spain distinguished themselves.

Why did St Gregory the Great hate black cats?

It was Gregory’s past as an astute lawyer that connected him to his acts of justice within the church. It was his distaste for cats that penned the Vox in Rama. That was the first church document condemning black cats as instruments of satan. By Gregory’s decree, there was a target on the head of every black cat.

Did the Pope say cats are the instruments of Satan?

But feline-human relations deteriorated sometime in the early 1230s (CE) when Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull called Vox in Rama. 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.

Did Pope Gregory IX’s Vox in Rama implicate cats in devil worship?

“Thou Shalt not suffer a Cat to Live”: Why Pope Gregory IX’s Vox in Rama Implicated Cats in Devil Worship. On June 13, 1233, Pope Gregory IX instigated the first bull of his papacy: the Vox in Rama.

Did Catholic fear drive people to wipe out cats?

One example is the idea that Catholic fear drove people, including Pope Gregory, to wipe out cats, which resulted in a population explosion among plague-infected rodents, thus leading to the Black Death. For some reason, we find the idea that our ancestors were dumb rather appealing.