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I just caught this diary and regret I wasn't around to comment before. The case of the Templars and torture afflicted by Philip was against standard procedure, as brutal as it may sound. Philip violated inquisitorial practice in order to exact confessions and put the matter before the pope as an accomplished fact. Torture as a legal process of inquisition was far more "articulated" by papal guidelines. The Templars would never have been pushed to the extremes Philip sought. When the Pope was able to cross-examine some of the Templars his court dismissed Philip's evidence. There's torture and torture. Papal torture had some guarantees.

As for transcripts of the Templar trials there is an exceptional wealth of material. It is an on-going process in which many valiant historians are involved. Literally decades of work.

A book has just been published in Italy by the eminent scholar, Barbara Frale which addresses the issues of the Templars and the Turin Shroud. She produces a great deal of evidence and solid arguments that the Shroud was one of their best kept secrets. References to the shroud surface occasionally in the trial transcripts. However, Philip's inquisitors preferred more spectacular charges of heresy to influence the public mind and did not focus their accusations on the mysterious shroud.

by de Gondi (publiobestia aaaatttthotmaildaughtusual) on Wed Aug 5th, 2009 at 01:09:56 PM EST

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