The Cathar Perfecti

The Cathar Perfecti were spiritual leaders in the 12th to 14th centuries within the Cathar movement, a Christian sect in southern France. They believed in a dualistic universe, emphasizing the struggle between good and evil, and rejected the material world as corrupt. The Perfecti lived ascetically, practicing extreme simplicity and abstaining from violence, marriage, and material wealth. They provided spiritual guidance and performed rituals like the Consolamentum, which was a form of spiritual baptism. The Catholic Church viewed them as heretics, leading to the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century to eradicate Cathar beliefs.