http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-252124,00.

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March 30, 2002

Vatican file shows pope pardoned massacred Knights

FROM RICHARD OWEN IN ROME

VATICAN documents have come to light showing that the wholesale massac e o! the "nights Tem#la in the Middle Ages !o alleged $he es%& idolat % and se'ual #e ve sion( ) an e#isode still sh ouded in m%ste % ) too* #lace even though the +o#e had e'one ated them in a sec et t ial, The evelation will #ut # essu e on the # esent +o#e& who has as*ed the Muslim wo ld !o !o giveness !o the C usades& to a#ologise !o the #e secution o! one o! the main C usading o de s as well, The Tem#la s& whose legenda % #owe and wealth still e'e t a !ascination& we e dis-anded -% +o#e Clement V at the Council o! Vienne in F ance in ./.0, LAvvenire, the Catholic daily, said that the record of the Popes investigation was thought to have been lost when Napoleon looted the Vatican during his invasion of Italy in the 1 th century, and that its rediscovery was an e!ceptional event" #he #e$plar %rand &aster, 'ac(ues de &olay, was burnt at the sta)e on the orders of Philip IV of *rance +)nown as Philip the *air,, who coveted the #e$plar orders land and treasure and began a ca$paign of dawn arrests and torture in 1-./" At least 0,... 1nights were )illed in an atte$pt to obliterate the order altogether" It was revived in the 1 th century as part of the $asonic $ove$ent, which is said to have inherited so$e of the #e$plars secret rituals" 2arbara *rale, a researcher at the Vatican 3chool of Paleontology, said that the consensus a$ong historians was that Cle$ent V, who was hi$self *rench and a for$er Archbishop of 2ordeau!, had been pliant and wea), and had colluded in Philip the *airs sche$e to wipe out the #e$plars and sei4e their fortune" 2ut docu$ents found in the Vatican archives, including a long5lost parch$ent, proved that the Pope had in fact $anoeuvred 6with s)ill and deter$ination7 to ensure that his own e$issaries (uestioned de &olay and other leading #e$plars in the dungeons of Chinon castle in the

Loire in 1-. , in what a$ounted to a papal trial" 3ignora *rale, who is writing a boo) based on the Chinon parch$ent, told the Italian $onthly 8era, a 9ournal of historical $ysteries, that the result was the co$plete e!oneration of the 1nights" #he Pope had accepted the 1nights e!planation that the charges against the$ of sodo$y and blasphe$y were due to a $isunderstanding of arcane rituals behind closed doors which had their origins in the Crusaders bitter struggle against the &usli$s, or 3aracens" #hese included 6denying Christ and spitting on the Cross three ti$es7, as well as 6)issing other $ens behinds7" Adriano *orgione, editor of 8era, said that these were intended to si$ulate the )ind of hu$iliation and torture that a Crusader $ight be sub9ected to by the 3aracens if captured" #hey were taught how to abuse their own religion 6with the $ind only and not with the heart7" #he 1nights #e$plar : properly called #he Poor 1nights of Christ and the #e$ple of 3olo$on : were founded during the early Crusades in the 10th century, when they protected pilgri$s to the 8oly Land, together with the 8ospitallers +or 1nights of 3t 'ohn," #he #e$plars were so called because they were given part of the for$er #e$ple of 3olo$on in 'erusale$ as their head(uarters" Noting that de &olay and the 1nights had as)ed his pardon, the Pope wrote; 6<e hereby decree that they are absolved by the church and $ay again receive Christian sacra$ents"7 3ignor *orgione said that the Pope had failed to $a)e this absolution public because the scandal of the #e$plars had aroused e!tre$e passions and he feared a church schis$" Philip IV had de &olay and other #e$plar leaders put to death before the Popes verdict could be published, and it was subse(uently lost"

In his first address as Pope, enedict said he was !willin" to do e#er$thin" in m$ power to promote the fundamental cause of ecumenism ... and am full$ determined to accept e#er$ initiati#e that seems opportune to promote contact and understandin" specific %emplar-inspired themes. &ome s$m'ols are seen as the (dia"nostic si"ns of %emplarism( and include: )ar#in"s of a fi#e-pointed star * do#e in fli"ht, carr$in" an oli#e 'ranch in its 'eak .

Pope enedict offers oli#e 'ranch to critics $ +onathan Petre and ruce +ohnston in ,ome