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How was the Holy Office reorganized by Pope Paul VI in 1965?
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inquisition
St. Dominic Presiding at an Auto-da-FĂ©, panel by Pedro Berruguete, c. 1503; in the Prado, Madrid.
In 1965, Pope Paul VI reorganized the Holy Officeâformerly known as the Inquisitionâby renaming it the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.1
This change represented a significant shift in the agency's focus, moving away from its historical role as an inquisitorial body toward an emphasis on the positive fostering of theological research and the defense of Roman Catholic belief. This reorganization was part of a broader effort to modernize the functions and procedures of the Roman Curia in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.21