The papal bull “Summis desiderantes affectibus,” issued by Pope Innocent VIII in 1484, addressed the issue of witchcraft by affirming the existence of witches and authorizing rigorous action against them. It specifically empowered inquisitors, particularly Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, to prosecute alleged witches and gave ecclesiastical support for such prosecutions, responding to resistance from local authorities in Germany.

Key Content of the Bull

• The bull recognized that many people had "abandoned themselves to devils" and committed acts such as infanticide and other harmful magical practices, framing witchcraft as a real threat to Christian society.

• It condemned the skepticism of some local church and secular authorities and mandated that inquisitors should be allowed to investigate, try, and punish suspects "by any necessary means".

• Witchcraft was defined in terms of maleficia (evil deeds), especially actions like impeding fertility, rather than explicit accusations of devil worship at sabbaths.

• The bull did not make a dogmatic theological pronouncement but rather authorized and encouraged the prosecution of witches as heretics, treating witchcraft as a serious crime against the faith.

Historical Impact

• This decree is traditionally seen as the catalyst for the large-scale witch hunts that followed in Europe, particularly in German lands, and gave the Inquisition increased authority in these matters.

• It was included as a preface to the infamous witch-hunting manual “Malleus Maleficarum,” helping to legitimize the witch hunts that spread across Europe in the late 15th and 16th centuries.

In summary, the papal bull stated that witchcraft was a genuine danger, justified severe actions against it, and greatly expanded the power of inquisitors to prosecute suspected witches.