Saint Benedict Magazine

Saint Joan of Arc
15th Century Sanhedrin

Saint Joan Being Sacrified

For months she suffered every misery and insult. Finally on February 21, 1431, her trial began. At first the start of the trial was a great relief to Joan. She felt sure that, unless it were a complete miscarriage of justice, the verdict could only end in her favor. She had seen how men could be bribed and blinded, and how prejudice and passion were weapons often used to distort the truth. But she was sure that with the help of God, she would clear her name in an open court, for surely statesmen—even more, churchmen— would not shed innocent blood.

But the bench of forty-seven judges before which Joan was brought was composed of perhaps the most unjust, cruel, and untruthful men since the court of Caliphas. These were men willing to sell even themselves for gold or position, men who did not just curve justice, but twisted and perverted it to fit their needs.

 

“I come from God” “there is nothing more for me to do here! Send me back to God, from Whom I come.”

Saint Joan of Arc.

The trial was long and rigorous, and Joan soon realized that no matter what was said, she was already condemned. All her answers were twisted and changed as they were recorded. “I come from God,” she exclaimed exhaustedly one day; “there is nothing more for me to do here! Send me back to God, from Whom I come.” Her numerous judges drew up articles describing her as a devil-worshipper, a traitor, a coward on the point of despair, suicidal, an idolater, a blasphemer of God, a schismatic and an apostate. Though she was badgered and berated as a liar and an enchantress, examined and cross-examined day in and day out, Joan still proved to be more than a match for her accusers. “You call yourself my judge,” she once warned Cauchon, “beware of what you do, for truly I am sent by God, and you are putting yourself in great danger.” Her quick, decisive answers often took her judges off-guard and many marveled that a peasant could fight off the harassment of a courtroom full of experienced judges for months in succession. She kept her calm and peace of mind throughout, and still found comfort in the counsel of her Voices who promised to lead her to Heaven by a great victory. “I would die,” she said, “were it not for the revelation which comforts me daily.”

 

The presiding judge was Peter Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais. He was known even in his lifetime as “Peter the Pig” not only because the French word for pig, cochon, resembled his name, but also it held a definite resemblance to certain aspects of his character. He was a Frenchman, yet he was loyal to the English cause because it offered more opportunities for higher positions and acquiring more wealth. A ready and willing tool in the hands of Joan’s enemies, Cauchon was the perfect unscrupulous and ambitious man needed for the job. This Judas Iscariot of the fifteenth century was given authority over the trial under the pretext that Compiègne, where Joan was captured, lay in his diocese of Beauvais. In his eagerness to make a name for himself, he was willing to take “justice” into his own hands and convict and execute an innocent girl, and for this loathsome act his name will be remembered with shame until the end of time.

Saint Joan in Reims poster
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The plan was to convict her in an ecclesiastical court on spiritual misconduct charges of corrupting society at large. Then she would be turned over to the secular authorities for sentencing and punishment by law. It was a reenactment of the trial of Christ before Annas and Caiaphas, who at last was sentenced and executed by Pilate. Joan appearing before her judges was not allowed an advocate, and though accused in an ecclesiastical court, she was illegally confined in the secular prison of the Castle of Rouen, and subjected to the watch by five dissolute men instead of women guards. She complained bitterly of this and begged to be moved to a church prison with women attendants, but she was denied this least of comforts. Therefore she kept her male attire, against the demands of the court, for better protection of her modesty.

“Though you should tear me limb from limb and pluck my soul from my body, you will never drag from me anything but the truth that my mission is from God!”

Saint Joan of Arc.

But nothing human could save the brave girl who stood all alone to defend herself against a courtroom of men untiedly determined to condemn her. They were trying desperately to trip her up and get her to doom herself so they could pass the sentence of ex- ecution. Failing to get her to sign a “confession” and death warrant, on May 11th they took her to the torture chamber. At the sight of the fire and iron, and the instruments in the hands of the torturer, she broke down in tears, unnerved and fearful. But realizing the enemy was gaining ground, she soon regained her composure and declared boldly, “Though you should tear me limb from limb and pluck my soul from my body, you will never drag from me anything but the truth that my mission is from God!”

 

How terrible must have been those last months of her life! Every word, every action was watched and weighed by her shrewd enemies in order that they might catch her in error. She was subjected to the keenest mental torture for hours at a time and threatened with execution daily in the courtroom. In her cell she was in constant physical distress at nearly every moment, in danger of the foulest indignity and outraged day and night. Still, the life of the Maid from the time of her capture until her death was but another line of victorious battles. Perhaps most triumphant of all was the fact that through her sufferings she was not helped by generals or soldiers, friends or enthusiastic crowds but remained “cheerful and brave” before her bloodthirsty enemies completely alone.

 

Saint Joan of Arc Lithograph Poster
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Finally, after a year of imprisonment, and four months of daily examination and the long drawn-out trial came to an end. The judges held their council and having “weighed” her testimony, declared her a relapsed sinner, a heretic, one excommunicated, etc., and sentenced her to be burned to death at the stake. As Robert Hugh Benson once stated, “It was no more the Catholic Church, properly speaking, that consented to Joan’s burning than it was the Apostolic College that, crucified Christ. It was rather, in both cases, that same World which today is persecuting joan’s spiritual brothers and sisters in her own country.”

Finally, after a year of imprisonment, and four months of daily examination and the long drawn-out trial came to an end. The judges held their council and having “weighed” her testimony, declared her a relapsed sinner, a heretic, one excommunicated, etc., and sentenced her to be burned to death at the stake. As Robert Hugh Benson once stated, “It was no more the Catholic Church, properly speaking, that consented to Joan’s burning than it was the Apostolic College that, crucified Christ. It was rather, in both cases, that same World which today is persecuting joan’s spiritual brothers and sisters in her own country.”