Knights Templar heirs demand apology from Vatican
The heirs to the Knights Templar have demanded an apology from the Vatican for the murder of their last leader, who was burned at the stake in the 14th century.
The last Grand Master of the warrior monks who fought in the Crusades, Jacques de Molay, was executed in Paris in 1314 on charges of heresy, black magic and idolatry.
His death was part of a concerted campaign to suppress the chivalric order by King Philip IV of France, who had grown suspicious of the Templars' power and envious of their wealth.
Although it was the French king who ordered de Molay to be put to death, the Templars have for centuries accused the Church in Rome of complicity.
Pope Clement V initiated an inquest into the order which led to many knights being subjected to heresy trials, before disbanding altogether....