Beziers, Southern France, 1209
The Father thought for a moment about what he was going to say next, and continued onward, “Beginning in 1208, a series of events happened which turned the Cathar world upside down. Actually, it came before that. But in 1208, things came to a head. A collision course between mainstream Roman Christianity, and the Gnostic Cathars of southern France.”
“In 1208, the Pope sent an emissary to a man named Count Raymond of Toulouse. The emissary, a man named Peter, was there to discipline Raymond because the Count had been harboring and securing safe passage for many Cathars of the region. Count Raymond was very sympathetic to the Cathars, and a secret believer to the faith. Therefore when Peter arrived to find Raymond living and believing amongst these so called heretical Cathars, he excommunicated Count Raymond from the Catholic Church.
“An argument ensued, and Peter left Raymond to return back to Rome to inform the Pope of his decision. Before he arrived back in Rome, Peter was murdered while crossing the Rhone River. This murder looked highly suspicious to the Pope, who then ordered a full scale crusade against the Cathars of southern France. Believing that it was they who had Peter murdered.
“The Pope made the usual promises for a crusade. That their sins would be forgiven, their debts relieved, and they would inherit the kingdom of heaven upon their deaths, if they were to embark upon this crusade against the ‘heretics.”
The Father looked amused as he glanced at the picture of the Pope shown onscreen. He smiled and asked his audience, “As if the Pope had that kind of power?”
The angelic host could only look on with the same amusement as the Father of all things. They kept their silence, and continued to listen to the story of their Creators.
The Father resumed, “The Pope issued a call to arms, and forty thousand crusaders answered. Most of them coming from the regions of northern France. To many of these crusaders, this was considered a ‘land grab’ from the nobles of southern France. For the Pope had also promised that any land or treasure taken, would become theirs. And the Cathars of southern France had amassed much land and wealth.”
“The King of France at the time didn’t take part in this crusade. He had more pressing problems with England at the time. Therefore, he allowed the Pope to handle the affairs of the heretics of southern France. Although King Philip of France did allow some of his nobles to take part in the crusade. Notably, a man named Simon, who would lead the crusades.
“One of their targets was a man named Raymond Roger. Once the crusaders had taken Raymond, they threw him into his own prison, where he died within months. Once Raymond was expired, Simon took over Raymond Roger’s lands. Once this was accomplished, they headed toward the city of Beziers. It was here that one of the most brutal massacres of all time was held.”
The Father wiped a tear from his eye and continued, “In July of 1209, the crusader army laid siege to the town of Beziers. The Catholic inhabitants of the city were allowed to leave unharmed, but many of them decided to stay and fight alongside their Cathar brethren. The crusaders attacked, and then ransacked the entire city. Brutallty killing more than fifteen thousand souls.”
“Once the crusader army was finished destroying the city of Beziers, they then turned their attention toward the city of Carcassonne. Where they repeated the same actions as that of Beziers. They tortured those Cathars whom were captured. Dragging them in the streets by horses. Blinded, and then used for target practice. Ears, noses, and eyes gouged out. It was a brutal sight.”
“Evil knows no bounds,” said the Mother.
“It truly doesn’t,” agreed the Father.
He looked to her to see if she had more to add. She didn’t, so he added, “Especially when we are talking about a false religion, hell bent on exterminating the truth.”
He continued, “For twenty years this extermination of the Cathars continued. The crusader army took their lands, took their wealth, and tried to take away their faith.”
“They murdered, raped, and pillaged the entire region of southern France. Moving from one town to the next. Annihilating a people, and a belief system. Until a temporary cease fire was established in 1229.”
“The Roman church also began something that would continue on for hundreds of years. The inquisition. The greatest evil ever let loose upon mankind. The most hideous monster ever to reach humanity. The greatest darkness of the middle ages. A series of acts which are so evil, that it boggles the mind to think that it actually happened. By the time it ended, millions were tortured, raped, burnt alive, and destroyed in all sorts of manner.
“And to think that this was all performed in the name of Jesus Christ. The prince of peace,” added the Mother.
“Indeed,” said the Father. “Here was a man who would have abhorred the very act that this Roman counterfeit church was performing in his name. Murdering in his name. Raping in his name. Torturing souls in his name. It’s enough to make one sick at the thought of this time period. An age so dark, that the light was almost extinguished by it. An institution ran by Lucifer himself. The Roman church created the evil known as the inquisition. A tribunal which would last for over 500 years. Interrogators trained by Dominic himself, to root out any perceived heresy of the church.
“In other words, trained to root out any and all who didn’t agree with their dogmatic beliefs. The scary part is, they actually believed in their hearts that they were performing the will of God.”
The Father was working himself up to a fever pitch, “I am absolutely amazed that I had the patience to let this all play out. And didn’t destroy Rome in the 1300s. The amount of karma built up by this institution is unbelievable. It literally boggles the mind. We will get more into the inquisition later, as this sermon continues. But before I leave that subject, let me give you something to ponder over. The demon known as Dominic was declared a saint by the Roman church. A demon, who works for Lucifer, declared a saint! That tells you how far down the abyss, that the Roman church traveled.”
“By 1229, there were very few Cathars left. Most of them had been murdered by the crusader army of Rome. Many of them had fled to the safety of the Knights Templar. Thus mixing the two faiths of the Cathars and the Templars. Since the two shared many beliefs, it was a smooth transition for those whom chose to become Templars.
“The few remaining Cathars were for the most part, holed up in the Castle of Montsegur. It is here that in 1244 that the Cathars would make their last stand, and also save the Holy Grail.”