Italský historik a právník věnoval svou knihu atraktivnímu tématu role katolické církve, respektive Vatikánu při poválečném útěku nacistických zločinců před spravedlností do zemí západní Evropy, na Blízký východ a do Latinské Ameriky. Hutná práce, která obratně zasazuje Vatikán do mezinárodního dění po druhé světové válce, vychází z autorova dlouholetého studia ve vatikánských, evropských a amerických archivech, díky čemuž představuje fundovanou polemiku s přežívajícími ideologickými klišé některých historiků a černobílým viděním novinářů. Autor zcela odmítá vědomý podíl vatikánské hierarchie na pomoci nacistickým činitelům, takže se jeho postoj může zdát až příliš apologetický, konečný soud však podle recenzenta lze vynést až po zveřejnění relevantních dokumentů Tajného vatikánského archivu., The book under review, by an Italian historian and lawyer, is about the attractive topic of the role of the Roman Catholic Church, particularly the Vatican, in helping Nazi war criminals to avoid justice after the Second World War and to escape to countries of Western Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. This dense work, which skilfully places the Vatican into international events after the Second World War, is based on the author´s many years of research in the archives not only of the Vatican, but also of other countries in Europe and America. The result is a well-supported argument against the surviving ideological clichés used by some historians and against the black-and-white way of looking at things used by journalists. The author absolutely rejects the idea that senior members of the Vatican counsciously helped Nazi officials. This might make his approach seem too much like apologetics, but the final judgement, according the the reviewer, can only be made after the relevant records of the Vatican Secret Archives have been made public., [autor recenze] Marek Šmíd., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
This article provides the first Czech translation, with introduction and notes, of the description of an exorcism ritual included in ms. 9 from the Abbey of St. Peter and Paul in Termonde (Dendermonde), well-known to scholars of Hildegard of Bingen, whom the text mentions as being present at the ritual. The article discusses the origin of the text, arguing for its later redaction than in the 1170s, the decade suggested by Laurence Moulinier-Brogi, yet still earlier than about 1230, the approximate year proposed by Uwe Brunn. We assume the very end of the 12th century to be the most probable date, while pointing out the need for further research, which should shed light on the gradual genesis of the source in the context of early hagiographic writings about Hildegard of Bingen. We further discuss some of the significant topics of the source, chiefly the demonization of heretical groups in the lower Rhineland as well as the condemnation of sorcery and superstitious beliefs. In particular, we point out the absence of any echoes of the Cathar ritual of consolamentum from passages mentioning the Cathar heresy. This leads us to the hypothesis that the text echoes specific heterodox doctrines and practices of late 12th-century lower Rhineland, with no direct connection to the dualist heterodox movement of Languedoc and Lombardy, although both milieus were labelled as cathari. Regarding the condemnation of sorcery and superstition, we briefly discuss the role of the mythical female figure called Holda in high medieval folklore. The second part of the article consists of the translation of the source. The translated description of an exorcism brings important testimony about the morally educative efforts and concerns of the Church administration in the lower Rhineland at the turn of the 13th century. Our translation is based on the edition by Laurence Moulinier-Brogi with some suggestions and corrections.