The Albigensians: Their Origins and the Action of the Church in the 12th Century

out of hatred for those who preside over it. As if human malice could destroy God's work, the aversion they felt for the teachers made them hate both the doctrine they taught and the authority they received from God to teach.

"Such were the AlbigensiansA medieval religious group in Southern France, also known as Cathars, whom the Catholic Church declared heretical. and the WaldensiansA movement founded by Peter Waldo in the 12th century that emphasized poverty and lay preaching, eventually separating from the Roman Catholic Church. (1)."

These proud people who "became weak" were all those who opposed the Church, which is the work of God. "These strong ones of the Church, whose faith no temptation could shake nor tear them away from unity," were men like Robert of Arbrissel, Raoul Ardent, Saint Bernard, Pierre de Castelnau, Alexander III, Innocent III, and Saint Dominic. Our duty was therefore to study at length the work of these admirable men who "considered themselves fortunate enough that nothing prevented them from practicing reformationIn this context, the author refers to the internal moral and spiritual improvement of individuals within the Church hierarchy. within themselves." This work was the very work of God, and it alone has remained.

We constantly follow the chronological order step by step. It has been said with reason that "Chronology is the eye of History." Nothing is truer for clarifying the obscure and turbulent period of the Albigensians. It is no longer

(1) History of the Variations, Book I, number 5. original: "Hist. des Vari., liv. I, n. v." This refers to a major work by Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet that argued against the legitimacy of Protestant movements by highlighting their doctrinal changes.