Voltaire on the Cathars

Readers may remember my review of James McDonald's magisterial volume Beyond Belief, a radical critique of the history of Christianity. Here he has translated a chapter on the Albigensian Crusade by Voltaire, written with his customary acerbic irony. As James observes, the Cathars prioritised love and simplicity over power and luxury, while Voltaire's weapons are objective facts and ridicule - a tactic that landed him in a great deal of trouble during his lifetime as he championed outrageous miscarriages of justice in the name of faith. The Albigensian Crusade is one such barbaric genocide, bringing with it the Inquisition (1229) and a police state. A fascinating observation is that Voltaire himself was educated by the Jesuits and subjected to child abuse, accusations that date back to the 11th century just at the time when the celibacy of Catholic priests became mandatory. A crowd of people pointedly told the Abbot of Citeaux to abandon either his luxury for his sermon, which St Dominic indeed did, emulating as he did the simple lifestyle of the Cathars. Voltaire's conclusion highlights the paradox of brutal barbarity in maintaining religion where the founder himself was executed by the authorities. It is a reminder that integrity and justice are critical to a healthy culture at any time.