– For the context of these translations click here –
Saint Gregory the Great
by Francisco Goya.
‘The property of the poor’
The same man who prophesied the calamitous end of the world and the impending divine judgment carried out an ecclesiastical property policy as intense as if that divine judgment were never to come.
The pope had a series of well-organised patrimonies, about fifteen at the beginning of his pontificate, and territory of many hundreds of square kilometres, called the patrimony of St. Peter. This meant that all this did not belong to the pope, the clergy or the Church, but actually belonged to the blessed prince of the Apostles. And that property of Peter extended from North Africa, where to Gregory’s great joy the almost depopulated territories were worked by prisoners of war (the cheapest ‘labour’), passing through Italy, the urban territory of Rome (Patrimonium urbanum), to Corsica, Sardinia, Dalmatia, Istria and Provence: a property of enormous extension and certainly the largest in Italy. Much of it came from imperial foundations. Perhaps the last gigantic increase was due to the estates of the Arian Church, which was plundered after the destruction of the Ostrogoth kingdom. And while private property diminished more and more, the riches of the Church were always increasing.
In Sicily, the granary of Rome since ancient times, the patrimony of ‘Saint Peter’ was so great that Gregory divided it into two administrative centres (rectories): Palermo and Syracuse, with about 400 tenants in total (conductores). And he personally was informed that for years ‘many people suffered violence and injustice by the administrators of Roman ecclesiastical property’, from whom he had deprived them by taking away their slaves. In the exploitation of the territories, the pope had the support of some of his closest associates as well as the rectors of different patrimonies (obliged with an oath before the supposed tomb of Peter, covered by him with 100 pounds of gold).
Gregory, who ordered the deacons of Catania to wear sandals (compagi) because it was the only thing allowed to Roman deacons, despite his gloomy penitential sermons and his corrosive expectation of the destruction of the world, still found time, surprisingly long, to take care of the fields, the belly mares, the old oxen, the useless cows and the slaves, who had to be naturally baptised members of the holy Church whenever possible. The methods of the holy father do not seem to have been too scrupulous. The main reason was to increase revenue before the impending doomsday and to present the boss with a perfect balance sheet. It has been written that his slogan was: ‘Prestige, efficiency and discipline’. Today, that could be the creed of any American marketing scholar…
Papal real estate continually provided Gregory with large amounts of merchandise and money, making the Catholic Church the leading economic power in Italy… The miserable peasants who were already being deprived with the taxes on the land (burdatio) that were collected three times a year, in addition to the leases and deliveries to the Holy Catholic Church, saw themselves oppressed… But Gregory called himself ‘treasurer of the poor’, describing the immense pontifical riches as ‘the property of the poor’: one ‘of the most beautiful expressions of him’, sings the Church History Manual.
2 replies on “Christianity’s Criminal History, 137”
Apologizes, because this comment is not relevant to this article but to an older article titled ‘Are the table talks genuine?’ that was posted some 6 years ago.
Since the comment section has been closed there, I am posting here.
In the article ‘Are the table talks genuine?’, the question was raised: “Christian disingenuously ask why, if this was his real opinion, didn’t he put it in Mein Kampf or mention it in any of his public speeches?”
Actually, Hitler did do that, there is a specific passage in Mein Kampf where Hitler calls ‘Christianity’ a ‘Spiritual Terror’ that came into the far freer ancient world, and a parallel and complementing statement to this passage is present in Table Talks.
Here I quote the original German Version(1943 Edition):“Auch das Christentum konnte sich nicht damit begnügen, seinen eigenen Altar aufzubauen, sondern mußte zwangs-läufig zur Zerstörung der heidnischen Altäre schreiten. […] Man kann sehr wohl den Einwand bringen, daß es sich bei derartigen Erscheinungen in der Weltgeschichte meist um solche spezifisch jüdischer Denkart handelt; ja, daß diese Art von Unduldsamkeit und Fanatismus geradezu jüdische Wesensart verkörpere. Dies mag tausendmal richtig sein, und man kann diese Tatsache wohl tief bedauern und mit nur allzu berechtigtem Unbehagen ihr Erscheinen in der Geschichte der Menschheit als etwas feststellen, was dieser bis dahin fremd gewesen war […] Der einzelne mag heute schmerzlich feststellen, daß in die viel freiere antike Welt mit dem Erscheinen des Chri-stentums der erste geistige Terror gekommen ist, er wird die Tatsache aber nicht bestreiten können, daß die Welt seitdem von diesem Zwange bedrängt und beherrscht wird, und daß man Zwang nur wieder durch Zwang bricht und Terror nur mit Terror. Erst dann kann aufbauend ein neuer Zustand geschaffen werden.”~ Mein Kampf, 5. Kapitel Weltanschauung und Organisation (Auflage 1943, Verlag Franz Eher Nachf., G.m.b.H., München, Zentralverlag der NSDAP., Frz. Eher Nachf., G.m.b.H., München
Translation:”Even Christianity could not be satisfied with building its own altar, but inevitably had to go to the destruction of the pagan altars. […] One can very well raise the objection that such phenomena in world history are mostly of a SPECIFICALLY JEWISH WAY OF THINKING; yes, that this kind of intolerance and fanaticism EMBODIED A DOWNRIGHT JEWISH NATURE. This may be correct a thousand times, and one can deeply regret this FACT and, with all too justified discomfort, see its appearance in the history of mankind as something that had hitherto been ALIEN to it […] Today the individual may painfully discover that the FIRST SPIRITUAL TERROR came into the much freer ancient world with the APPEARANCE OF CHRISTIANITY, but he will not be able to deny the FACT that the world has since been OPPRESSED and ruled by this COMPULSION, and that compulsion is only possible again through compulsion breaks and terror only with terror. Only then can a new condition be created.”
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We can see here Hitler says Christianity (in destroying Pagan Altars) displayed ” SPECIFICALLY JEWISH WAY OF THINKING”(Original German: spezifisch jüdischer) and “EMBODIED A DOWNRIGHT JEWISH NATURE”(Original German:geradezu jüdische verkörpere), and asserts this as a “FACT”(Original German: Tatsache), and regrets “justified discomfort” that “its appearance in the history of mankind as ALIEN”.
And next Hitler calls Christianity introduced “SPIRITUAL TERROR” into a much freer ancient world, again he asserts this as a FACT by saying “he will not be able to deny the FACT that the world has since(appearance of Christianity) been OPPRESSED and ruled by this COMPULSION, and that compulsion is only possible again through compulsion breaks and terror only with terror. Only then can a new condition be created.”
The word which he uses “Oppressed”, “Compulsion” is extremely incriminating, what is more, incriminating is according to Hitler, the world has been oppressed and driven by compulsion ONLY since the advent of Christianity, before Christianity’s advent the world was far freer ancient world.
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Now in the ‘Adolf Hitler Monologe im Führerhauptquartier 1941-1944’ there is a parallel and complementing statement to the one present in Mein Kampf.
In Mein Kampf Hitler says: “Today the individual may painfully discover that the FIRST SPIRITUAL TERROR came into the much freer ancient world with the APPEARANCE OF CHRISTIANITY”
In Adolf Hitler Monologe im Führerhauptquartier 1941-1944 we find: “Daß die antike Welt so schön, so heiter und unbeschwert war, erklärt sich daraus, daß sie von zwei Seuchen verschont geblieben ist: der Syphilis und dem Christentum!” (Führerhauptquartier 19. 10. 1941, nachmittags)
Translation: “That the ancient world was so beautiful, so cheerful and carefree can be explained by the fact that it was spared two epidemics: syphilis and Christianity!” (Führer headquarters October 19, 1941, afternoon).
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And regarding his speech, in more than one speech Hitler did say Christianity destroyed Roman Empire also compares Christianity with Bolshevism.
“We know that the Jew used Christianity[…] because he knew that this new religion questioned all earthly power and so it became an axe at the root of the Roman state, the state which was built on the authority of the public servant. And he became its chief bearer and propagator” ~ Adolf Hitler, Speech, 13 August 1920, Hofbräuhaus Hall, Munich
“I could go back to the emergence of Christianity, to facts, according to which an idea can take hold of mankind until STATES FINALLY BREAK BECAUSE OF IT. Closer to us is a look at the development of Marxism in Germany.” ~ Adolf Hitler, August 4, 1929
“It was only the DISINTEGRATING EFFECT OF CHRISTIANITY and the symptoms of age which appear in every country, which caused ancient Rome to succumb” ~ Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s Meeting with the Heads of the Armed Services on November 5, 1937.
“A Weltanschauung has conquered a State and, starting from there, will slowly SHATTER the whole world and bring about ITS COLLAPSE. Bolshevism will, if its advance is not halted, expose the world to a transformation as complete AS THE ONE CHRISTIANITY ONCE EFFECTED.” ~ Adolf Hitler, Industry Club in Düsseldorf January 27, 1932
Great !
I’ll use your comment as my next post.