The Witch Manifesto
© By Dr. Leo L. Martello
As
appeared in his book "Weird Ways of Witchcraft",
Castle Books, Secaucus, NJ, 1972
Used with the permission of Rev. Lori Bruno on behalf
of the estate of Dr. Leo L. Martello
The
International Tribunal to try Inquisitional Crimes (posthumously)
is for the purpose of
a)
To morally condemn the Catholic Church for the torture
and murder of witches and those accused of such, something
never done publicly by any religious or secular government,
and
b)
Descendants of witches and non-witches burned at the
stake to sue the Catholic Church for $500 million in
damages and reparations.
Descendants
of Salem witches, or those accused of such, to sue both
the city of Salem and the churches responsible for $100
million in damages, economic loss, injustice and reparations,
and to clear the names of their ancestors and demand
a public apology.
The
persecution of witchcraft and witches in America is
in violation of Constitutional guarantees of religious
freedom. The laws on the books against witchcraft are
to be abolished as well as those discriminatory laws
which are religious in origin and in violation of the
Constitutional Separation of Church and State.
All
laws against healing, fortune telling, psychic phenomena
covered by "pretending to foretell the future"
or covered by "fraud", as long as they are
on the books must be enforced against all those priest,
ministers and rabbis who offer prayer, masses, healing,
holy relics and "blessings"... who collect
tangible benefits by offering intangible rewards. Since
none of them can offer tangible proof of an afterlife,
the salvation of souls, or a place in Heaven, all priests,
ministers and rabbis who collect money for the same
are, according to current laws, "accepting money
under false pretenses."
Enforcement
of the Civil Rights Act. Witches are America's (and
the world's) most persecuted religious minority. Witches
must have the right to work, and to housing, without
having to hide the fact that they're witches. Discrimination
against them because of their religious and personal
convictions violates their right to Fair Housing, their
Civil Rights and their right to Religious Freedom. The
same unconscious prejudice against witches for being
"black" magicians is the same unconscious
bigotry against the black man... projections of the
Christian's own theology and "black thoughts."
Because of this both the witch and the black man have
been primarily composed of White Christians: Anything
"black" is bad; anything "white"
is good.
The
Catholic Church to be sued by all those "believers"
who brought statues, paintings, pictures, scapulas and
medals of those saints which the Church on May 9, 1969
dropped from their Liturgical Calendar. By its own admission
the Church has committed fraud, has accepted money under
false pretenses, or has given its moral and official
sanction for the manufacture and sale of these items,
especially those depicting St. Christopher. They have
committed fraud and should be legally prosecuted just
as any other individual or firm who does the same.
The
basis for Reparations against the Catholic Church and
those in Salem are the same as those applicable to any
citizen who is falsely arrested. The fact that it happened
hundreds of years ago doesn't negate the wrong. If a
man can prove he was falsely arrested and sue, what
about those who were falsely tortured and murdered?
Since the dead man (witch) can't sue or collect damages
his descendants both genealogically and religiously
(witchcraft) can and will. The Church claimed human
lives. The Witch Manifesto is only claiming compensatory
damages... asking for Justice... and a return of those
moneys and properties confiscated by the Church from
its victims.
Witches
Protest Demonstrations, Marches, Rallies to be given
a legal permit by the city in which they occur. Failure
or refusal to do so by any city indicates religious
discrimination and will be fought in the courts. Just
as most cities permit St. Patrick's Day parades, a saint
whose authenticity is now in dispute, a religious march
secularly sanctioned, witches have the same right to
a Witches Day and a Witches' Parade.
