I was very pleased to read the report “Kuwait ruler rejects death penalty for religious offenses” (June 7). It is about time. Once upon a time the early Christians held religious “inquisitions” and, depending on the severity of the “crime” (offense), people were burned at the stake or excommunicated and penalties were imposed like confiscation of property. Later, once the Roman Catholic Church was established, there were several inquisition periods; the best known is the Spanish Inquisition. The Roman Inquisition was established in 1542 by Pope Paul III to combat Protestantism. Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake in 1600. And we all know about the fate of Galileo who, thanks to his ties with the pope, escaped being executed.
The year 1832 saw the light of day when all inquisitions were banished.
