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Inquisition, Crusades, & “Catholic Scandals” (Index Page)

Inquisition, Crusades, & “Catholic Scandals” (Index Page)

Last updated on: July 27, 2026 at 12:13 pm by Dave Armstrong

Inquisition, Crusades, & “Catholic Scandals” (Index Page) 2026-07-27T12:13:19-04:00 Dave Armstrong

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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I. Inquisition, Crusades, and “Dark Ages”

II. The Sexual Scandal in the Catholic Church

III. Sinners in the Church

IV. Paganism, Slavery, & Other Real or Imagined Scandals (like Halloween)

V. The Galileo Controversy

VI. Pope Pius XII and the Nazi Holocaust / Persecution of Jews / Anti-Semitism

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I. Inquisition, Crusades, and “Dark Ages”

Dialogue on the Crusades, the Inquisition[s], & Slavery [1998; Addendum added on 11-2-03]

Sack of Constantinople (1204) & Unknown Byzantine Atrocities [1998]

The Crusades: a Lot Like World War II (Mark Shea) [2-29-00]

“Romanists” Killed 100 Million? David T. King & Other Geniuses [6-29-00]
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The Inquisition: Its Purpose and Rationale Within the Mediæval Worldview [2-21-06]

The Inquisition Killed 4.9 Million? (John Bugay’s Whoppers) [6-4-10]

Killing Heretics: Any Conceivable Biblical Rationale? [6-5-10]

Crusades Controversy & “Discussion” (?) w Orthodox [8-14-14]

Second Crusades Meme and Discussion [+ Facebook Author Page discussion: 8-16-14]

Catholic Inquisition Murdered “50-68 Million”? [April 2014]

Were “50-68 Million” People Killed in the Inquisition? [8-21-15]

The Inquisition, Abortion, & ISIS (Connections?) [10-19-15]

Real Tolerance vs. PC Pseudo-“Tolerance” [11-30-15]

Conciliar Infallibility / Council of Constance & John Hus’ Execution [5-25-17]

Were 50 Million People Really Killed in the Inquisition? [National Catholic Register, 5-30-18]

The Inquisition, as Medieval Catholics Would View It [National Catholic Register, 7-31-19]

“Dark Ages”: Christian or Barbarian? [4-6-21]

“Catholic Verses” #5: Denominationalism (Including “Straight Talk” on the Catholic and Protestant Inquisitions) [10-27-23]

Reply To Gavin Ortlund: Albigensian Crusade [2-6-24]

Reply To Gavin Ortlund: Catholic Inquisitions; Hus [2-7-24]

How to Understand Past Attitudes Toward Violence (past Catholic and Protestant religious persecution) [National Catholic Register, 2-16-24]
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VIDEO: Catholic Inquisition Myths Busted by Real Historians [see also the written transcript] [Lux Veritatis with Kenny Burchard, 6-5-25]

EXTERNAL LINKS

The Inquisition and the Church (Joseph Jenkins)

A New Look at the Spanish Inquisition (Edward O’Brien)

Catholic Encyclopedia: Inquisition

Catholic Encyclopedia: Crusades

Four Myths about the Crusades (Paul F. Crawford)

Crusades were a Reaction to Islamic Militarism (Andrew Holt)

The Modern Muslim Memory of the Crusades (Andrew Holt)

How Could a God of Love Order the Massacre of the Canaanites?

Shouldn’t the Butchering of the Amalekite Children be Considered War Crimes?

Historians Rank the “Most Important” Books on the Crusades (+ Part Two) (Andrew Holt, 7-27-17)

II. The Sexual Scandal in the Catholic Church

My statement: I would remind Catholics (and non-Catholic Christian allies) who are despairing over this dreadful scandal to recall that all great reform movements in the Catholic Church followed times of great immorality within its ranks (we Catholics being sinners and in constant need of God’s grace, mercy, and help, along with everyone else). The terrible revelations now being exposed can potentially be a huge wake-up call to reform seminaries, Catholic educational institutions, and the priesthood from the inroads of theological modernism, false psychological thinking, “political correctness,” heterodox, compromised teaching on sexuality, and relativist, non-traditional ethics and morality in general.

Those scourges are the ultimate and long-term cause of these tragic events, and no informed Catholic that I know has ever denied that the Church (i.e., with regard to the beliefs and behavior of many of its members, not in its teachings) is suffering from a modernist crisis. I would note in passing that the fashionable, wrongheaded, agenda-driven calls for a married or female clergy have little to do with the current problem, and cannot resolve it, since upwards of 90% of the sexually-abused were teenage males.

The problem obviously is something other than celibacy itself, or Clintonian urges towards heterosexual promiscuity. Having believed for a long time (based on historical hindsight) that spiritual and ecclesiological revival is coming in the 21st century, I think this unutterably tragic scandal can and will – by God’s grace and mass repentance — eventually be instrumental in leading to a great movement for reform, orthodoxy, and revival (Romans 8:28). The laity will likely play a large part in the coming revival, as they often have in the past.

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Scandalous Sexual Misconduct Committed by Protestant Clergy [10-13-05]

Orthodox, Protestant, & Jewish Clergy & Sexual Abuse [11-5-07]

Catholic Sex Scandals: Media Double Standards vs. Statistics (Catholic365, 3-27-15)
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I Excoriated Society-Wide Sexual Abuse in 2007 [11-17-17]
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Pope’s Chilean Abuse Apology Troubles Simcha Fisher [4-12-18]

Jeremiad on the Cardinal McCarrick Disgrace and Scandal [Facebook, 8-9-18]

“With all that is going on in the church today, I wouldn’t dwell on this non-sequitur.” [i.e., the issue of whether we should call priests “Father”] [Facebook, 8-13-18]

Jeremiad on the Disgraceful Sexual Abuse Scandal [8-18-18]

“Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner”: Biblical & Christlike? [8-21-18]

Is the Catholic Church “Against” Gay Priests? [8-24-18]

On the Latest Bombshell News Regarding Pope Francis and Cardinal McCarrick [Facebook, 8-26-18]

Abp. Vigano / Pope Francis Crisis: Three Current Reactions [8-27-18]

Vigano / Pope “Investigation”: Opinions Round-Up (August 25-29) [8-29-18]

Impressions: State of the Vigano / Francis Controversy [8-31-18]
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Vigano / Pope “Investigation”: Opinions Round-Up #2 (August 27-31) [8-31-18]

On the Abp. Vigano-Pope Francis Crisis, Ten Days In [9-4-18]
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Catholic Sex & Heterodoxy Scandals: Long-Term Causes [9-3-18 and 1-26-19]
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Sex, Lies, & Videotape (“Discussion” w Angry Atheist) [2-15-19]

Catholic Sex Scandal & Homosexuality: Reply to Atheist [2-21-19]

LEAVING (OR WANTING TO LEAVE) THE CHURCH DUE TO SEXUAL AND OTHER SINS AMONG THE CLERGY

Are Sinful Church Leaders a Disproof of Catholicism? [1998]

Do Catholic Sexual Scandals Disprove Catholic Truth Claims? [11-10-11]

Shock! Former Catholic Rod Dreher Loves Lawler’s Pope-Bashing Book (Sin in the Church and Dreher’s Inadequately Explained Rejection of Catholic Doctrine) [2-22-18]

Should We Leave the Catholic Church Because of Sex Scandals? [8-16-18; re-posted at Catholic365, 11-1-23]

We must trust in the Lord in the midst of scandals [The Michigan Catholic, 8-24-18]

The Sex Scandals Are Not a Reason to Reject Catholicism [National Catholic Register, 8-24-18]

Leaving the Church for Insufficient Reasons (Damon Linker) [8-30-18]
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Leaving Catholicism (Not Primarily Due to Sex Scandals!) (reply to Michael Boyle & Melinda Selmys) [10-5-18]
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Why Not Become a Protestant, Due to the Sex Scandals? [3-7-19]
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Fr. Angel Sotelo’s Analysis of Melinda Selmys’ Departure from the Catholic Church and Subsequent Behavior as a Self-Appointed Guide or “Healing Counselor” to Disgruntled and/or Dissenting Catholics [Facebook, 3-22-19]

Are Abuse Scandals a Reason to Leave the Church? [National Catholic Register, 3-31-19]

Reply to a Despairing Catholic Seminarian (Indefectibility) [6-26-21]

EXTERNAL LINKS

Benedict and Clergy Sexual Abuse: Decisive and Aggressive Action (Judy Roberts; National Catholic Register, 5 March 2013)

The Myth of Pedophile Priests (Fr. Dwight Longenecker, 22 March 2010)

“The Myth of the Pedophile Priest”: A Researcher Puts Scandals in Context (Philip Jenkins, 3 March 2002)

The Sex-Abuse Crisis: What are Christians Doing About It? (David Manthei, 1 Dec. 2014)

“Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Clergy,” by Richard Fitzgibbons & Dale O’Leary (The Linacre Quarterly, 2011) (+ my extensive commentary in the Facebook combox: 8-18-18]

“Bishop Morlino: ‘Homosexual Subculture’ a Source of Devastation in the Church” (Catholic News Agency / National Catholic Register, 8-19-18) [+ extensive Facebook discussion and related links]

“I am tired of the obfuscation of truth. I am tired of sin.” Bishop Morlino Responds to Crisis (Fr. Matthew Schneider) [8-18-18]

Is homosexuality the problem in the sex-abuse scandal? (Michael Liccione) [8-22-18]

Is Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Related to Homosexual Priests? (Matthew E. Bunson, National Catholic Register, 11-2-18)

Cardinal Müller on Homosexuality Practiced and Covered Up within the Clergy and Hierarchy (Steve Ray, 24 Nov. 2018)

Sex Abuse Scandals: Catholic, Protestant and Secular – You May Be Surprised (Steve Ray, 3 Dec. 2018)

“Sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests” (U. S. Dept. of Education study)

The Root Cause of the Catholic Sex-Abuse Scandal (Dr. Michael Liccione, Mind & Spirit, five-part analysis, 2-18-19)

Benedict XVI essay: “The Church and the scandal of sexual abuse” (Catholic News Agency, 4-10-19)

“Serbia Rocked by Orthodox Church Sex Scandal” [article, + Facebook discussion on the general issue, 4-29-13]

For why do they sit at the gate, and what do they watch for, if it be not for this, that so soon as any bishop or clergyman or monk or nun has fallen, they may have ground for believing, and boasting, and maintaining that all are the same as the one that has fallen, but that all cannot be convicted and unmasked? Yet these very men do not straightway cast forth their wives, or bring accusation against their mothers, if some married woman has been discovered to be an adulteress. But the moment that any crime is either falsely alleged or actually proved against any one who makes a profession of piety, these men are incessant and unwearied in their efforts to make this charge be believed against all religious men. (St. Augustine: Epistle 78 [6]: to the Church at Hippo [404 A.D.] )

III. Sinners in the Church

Thomas Howard on the Sins of the Catholic Church [Facebook, 1991]

Sins and Sinners in the Catholic Church [1998]

Are Sinful Church Leaders a Disproof of Catholicism? [1998]

How Can the One True Church Have Sinners in it? [2002]

Resisting Heretic Popes: Classic Catholic Reflections [12-1-07]

“Bad Popes”: How Many Were There? [12-17-07]

Bad Popes: Replies to a Sincere Inquirer [5-27-08]

Sinners in the Church & God’s Mercy (vs. Calvin #8) [5-15-09]

Some Bad Popes = Ditch the Papacy? (vs. Calvin #22) [6-29-09]

Bad Popes / Indefectibility / John XXII (vs. Calvin #24) [6-30-09]
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Do Catholic Sexual Scandals Disprove Catholic Truth Claims? [11-10-11]

St. Paul on Sinners in the Church (Notorious Galatians) [12-20-11]

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Catholic Sinners & Corruption: the “Jesus, Paul, & Revelation” Retort [5-25-17]

Sinning Christians: Catholic vs. Protestant Approaches [8-10-17]
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Shock! Former Catholic Rod Dreher Loves Lawler’s Pope-Bashing Book (Sin in the Church and Dreher’s Inadequately Explained Rejection of Catholic Doctrine) [2-22-18]

“Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner”: Biblical & Christlike? [8-21-18]

Leaving the Church for Insufficient Reasons (Damon Linker) [8-30-18]
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Don’t Confuse Papal Infallibility with Impeccability [Facebook, 8-31-18]

Dialogue on Christians Hating Gays & Gays Hating Christianity [9-25-18]
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Christian Sinners & “Puritanical” Fanaticism (Reply to Calvin #5) [12-17-18]
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Catholic Sex & Heterodoxy Scandals: Long-Term Causes [9-3-18 and 1-26-19]
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Sinners in the Church (by St. John Henry Newman) [3-9-20]

Steve Skojec: “Traditionalism” = “Sewer”, “Toxic”, “Tribalism” (. . . And Sinners in Her Fold Are Still Never a Reason to Forsake the One True Church, Established by Our Lord Jesus, & Guided & Protected by the Holy Spirit) [5-28-21]

Nutshell Proof for Sinners in the One True Church [Facebook, 10-16-23]

“Catholic Verses” #4: Sinners in the Church (Including the Biblical Conception of “Saints” and “Sinners”) [10-26-23]

Nutshell Proof for Sinners in the Church (1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, & Revelation) [Facebook, 1-4-23]
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IV. Paganism, Slavery, & Other Real or Imagined Scandals (like Halloween)

Is Catholicism Half-Pagan? [1999]

Is Easter Pagan & the Word a “Pagan Compromise”? [1999]

Dialogue on Catholics’ Supposed Simplemindedness, Arrogance, and “Triumphalism” [1-31-00]

Halloween Joys & the “Baptizing” of Pagan Customs (Guest Post by Rod Bennett and Mark Shea) [11-1-06; expanded on 10-31-16]

Is Catholicism Half-Pagan, & a Blend of Gospel & Lies? [2007]

Biblical Evidence for Building Expensive Church Buildings and Cathedrals (vs. “Grubb”) [3-18-08]

The Bible, Church History, & Slavery (Resources) [2-11-11]

Myths About the Murder of the Pagan Alexandrian Philosopher, Hypatia, and the Burning of the Library of Alexandria (Resources) [1-19-13]

Biblical Inspiration & Cultural Influences: Contradictory? (emphasis on slavery) [8-10-18]
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Seidensticker Folly #10: Slavery in the Old Testament [8-20-18]

Seidensticker Folly #11: Slavery & the New Testament [8-20-18]

VIDEO: Can “PAGAN” Halloween Be “Christianized”? [see the transcript of the initial portion] [with Kenny Burchard, Catholic Bible Highlights, 10-30-25]
*

History of Required Celibacy Disproves [the Authority of] Catholicism? [including an element of mandatory “slavery”] [3-11-26]

2nd Reply to Anglican Sean Luke on Catholicism & Celibacy [including an element of mandatory “slavery”] [3-12-26]

Reply to Protestants: Invalid Catholic Authority? [follow-up to the previous two articles] [3-12-26]
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Catholic “Wicked Married Sex”?: 4th Reply to Sean Luke [3-14-26]

EXTERNAL LINKS

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A Response to John Noonan, Jr. Concerning the Development of Catholic Moral Doctrine (Usury, Marriage, Slavery, Religious freedom) (Patrick M. O’Neil)

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Catholic Encyclopedia: SLAVERY AND CHRISTIANITY

Catholic Encyclopedia: ETHICAL ASPECT OF SLAVERY

Intra Arcana and Pope Clement VII: Did the Church “OK” Forced Conversions of Native Americans? (The Not-So Angelic Doctor, 10-18-15)

Did the Church Ever Support Slavery? (Steve Weidenkopf, Catholic Answers Magazine, 9-18-17)

V. The Galileo Controversy

[See: Philosophy, Science, and Christianity Page]

VI. Pope Pius XII and the Nazi Holocaust / Persecution of Jews / Anti-Semitism

[See: Jews, Judaism, and the Old Testament Page]

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Practical Matters: This is the most comprehensive and multi-faceted Catholic apologetics blog: rated #1 for Christian sites by leading AI tool, ChatGPT. I offer more than 5,000 free online articles, fifty-nine books, and many scores of videos at the Catholic Bible Highlights YouTube channel (please subscribe!). If you believe my full-time apostolate is worth supporting, please seriously consider financially supporting it. PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: [email protected]. You’ll see the term “Dave Armstrong Bookstore”. To learn about the different methods of contributing (including Zelle and 100% tax-deductible donations if desired), see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information. Thanks a million!

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Last updated on 14 March 2026

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Photo credit: photograph by LunarSeaArt (2-26-17) [Pixabay / CC0 Creative Commons license]

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