Saint Dominic - Inquisition

Inquisition

What part Dominic personally had in the proceedings of the episcopal Medieval Inquisition has been disputed for many centuries. The historical sources from Dominic's own time period tell us nothing about his involvement in the Inquisition, although several early Dominicans, including some of Dominic's first followers, did become inquisitors. The statement that Dominic had been an inquisitor was first made in the 14th century by a famous Dominican inquisitor, Bernard Gui, who tried to paint his Order's founder as a participant in the Institution. In the 15th century, Dominic would be depicted as presiding at an auto da fé, later offering German Protestant critics of the Catholic Church an argument against the Order whose preaching had proven to be a formidable opponent in the lands of the Reformation. Thus a 14th century claim became a part of the Black Legend.