Views During the Third Period (750-1517 A.D.) (21): The Supremacy of the Pope: Innocent and the Papacy (1198-1216 A.D.)

The interdict at once took effect, casting a deep gloom over the whole nation. The church bells remained unrung. The church buildings were closed. The usual ministrations of the priesthood remained unperformed. The great doors of the monasteries were left unopened, and worshippers were only admitted by secret passages. Penance was inflicted upon the innocent as well as the erring. Women, after childbirth, presented themselves for purification outside the church walls. The dead were refused...