Editing Pope John XXII (section)

=== Role in witchcraft suppression ===
Pope John's reign saw an important change in papal and [[Medieval Inquisition|inquisitorial]] attitudes towards witchcraft suppression compared to the reign of his predecessors, such as [[pope Alexander IV]]. Kors points to the fact that Pope John had been the victim of an assassination attempt via poisoning and sorcery as a personal factor behind this change.{{sfn|Kors|Peters|2001|p=118}} As such, Pope John's involvement with witchcraft suppression can be officially traced to his 1326 papal bull ''Super illius specula'' in which he laid out a description of those who engage in witchcraft.  Pope John also warned people against not only learning magic or teaching it but against the more "execrable" act of performing magic. Pope John stated that anyone who did not heed his "most charitable" warning would be excommunicated.{{sfn|Kors|Peters|2001|p=82}} Pope John officially declared witchcraft to be heresy, and thus it could be tried under the Inquisition.  Although this was the official ruling for the church, Pope John's first order dealing with magic being tried by the Inquisition was in a letter written in 1320 by Cardinal William of Santa Sabina.{{sfn|Kors|Peters|2001|p=118}} The letter was addressed to the Inquisitors of Carcassonne and Toulouse.  In the letter Cardinal William states that with the authority of Pope John the Inquisitors there were to investigate witches by "whatever means available" as if witches were any other heretic. The letter went on to describe the actions of those who would be seen as witches and extended power to the Inquisition for the prosecution of any and all cases that fit any part of the description laid out in the letter.<ref>William, Cardinal of Santa Sabina, Letter of 22 August 1320, to Inquisitors of Carcassonne and Toulouse. Latin text in Hansen,''Quellen'' pp. 4–5. Tr. E.P.</ref>