Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican's doctrine office, once responsible for the Inquisition, the Index of Prohibited Books and famous for its centuries of secrecy, is reminding scholars that it's actually a fairly accessible and transparent place.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is hosting an academic conference starting Tuesday marking the 20th anniversary of its historic decision to open its archives to scholars.
The conference, "The Roman Inquisition and its Archives," will feature dozens of academic presentations about the scholarship that has emerged, including a whole session on how the Inquisition and banned book list have been portrayed over time in popular storytelling, media, cinema and advertising.
The Roman Inquisition began in 1542 as part of the Catholic Church's counter-reformation against Protestantism, and prosecuted people for heresy and other doctrinal crimes.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
