According to the Guardian, documents newly released by the Vatican suggest that far fewer people were executed by the Inquisition than was previously believed.
Apparently the church is trying to suggest that it was quite humane, only authorising the use of torture for 15 minutes at a time and in the presence of a doctor. No doubt Saddam Hussein will be telling his captors just that kind of nonsense, whilst General Pinochet will no doubt denying having any knowledge of the many thousands of people who died as a result of his brutal regime.
The thing which appalls me the most is that the church claims to stand for love and peace, turnign the cheek and all that other malarky and yet has consistently caused more violence than any other force in history - still, in the words of Monty Python: "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition"
As a footnote, I just found that the CIA refused President Clinton's decision to declassify the files on its role in the Pinochet coup
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