Faustian bargain: What a pact with the devil possibly looks like

In 1634, Catholic priest Urbain Grandier was executed by burning at the stake, accused of casting spells on a convent in the French town of Loudun. The charges against him arose not from his actions, but rather from his inactions.

Grandier, a contentious figure within the church, was known for his sexual liaisons with parishioners and his criticism of clerical celibacy, often challenging the church and King Louis XIII. He could be described as a “hippie priest,” leaning towards leftist ideologies. Yet, these issues paled in comparison to the wrath he incurred by spurning the advances of Sister Jeanne, the mother superior at the local Ursuline convent.

Sister Jeanne, desiring Grandier for herself, attempted to entice him with the offer of becoming the monastery’s spiritual director. When Grandier rebuffed Sister Jeanne’s overtures, she orchestrated a plot for his demise. She then bestowed the position upon Grandier’s adversary, Canon Mignon. Subsequently, Sister Jeanne, along with other nuns, leveled accusations against Grandier, claiming he had employed Satan’s aid to dispatch demons to tempt the convent.

After undergoing brutal interrogation, the nuns were released, and Grandier was arrested, subjected to torture, and brought to trial, only to be acquitted. Following his release, Grandier erred by criticizing Cardinal Richelieu, the influential first minister to King Louis XIII. Richelieu commanded a second trial for Grandier. Despite the nuns withdrawing their accusations, “new” evidence emerged, leading to Grandier’s renewed accusation of witchcraft, further torture, conviction, and ultimately, a death sentence. This was a maneuver by Richelieu to eliminate a troublesome and potentially dangerous cleric.

During the subsequent trial, the prosecutor introduced a document purportedly proving a diabolical pact. It was presented as the reverse side of a “contract” between Urbain Grandier and Satan, allegedly signed by several demons in 1634.

The document is composed in reverse, from right to left and as a mirror image, reflecting the devils’ preference for doing things contrarily to signify their defiance of Christianity. It includes occult symbols along with the signatures of demons and Lucifer.

“We, almighty Lucifer, accompanied by Satan, Beelzebub, Leviathan, Astaroth and others, today conclude a treaty of alliance with Urbain Grandier, who is now with us. And we promise him the love of women, the flowers of virginity, the mercy of nuns, world-wide honors, pleasures and riches. He will engage in extramarital affairs every day; hobbies will be pleasant for him. He will bring us once a year a tribute marked by his blood; he will trample underfoot the relics of the church and pray for us. Thanks to the effect of this agreement, he will live happily for twenty years on earth among people and will finally come to us, reproaching the Lord. Given in hell, at the council of devils.

Satan, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Leviathan, Astaroth. I certify the signatures and mark of the main devil and my masters, the princes of the underworld. Clerk Baalberit”

It appears that selling one’s soul to the devil could be likened to requesting a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. However, the unfortunate Grandier had no such chance and perished at the stake. Now, we have at least some understanding of what a pact with the devil entails, as per the Catholic Church’s perspective.