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When and why was the Roman Inquisition established?
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inquisition
St. Dominic Presiding at an Auto-da-Fé, panel by Pedro Berruguete, c. 1503; in the Prado, Madrid.
The Roman Inquisition was established in 1542. It was created as a department of state within the Papal States primarily to combat Protestantism, which the Roman Catholic Church defined as heresy in its territories.123
Beyond its focus on suppressing Protestant influence, the institution held the authority to supervise and discipline the moral failings of both clergy and laity. This role made it a useful instrument for implementing the reforms mandated by the Council of Trent. The tribunal was later organized into the Congregation of the Holy Roman and Universal Inquisition, also known as the Holy Office, as part of the administrative reforms of Pope Sixtus V.13