The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the government system of the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy. It started in 12th century France to combat religious sectarianism, in particular the Cathars and the Waldensians. In the 16th century, Waldensian leaders embraced the Protestant Reformation, joined various local Protestant regional entities, and came out of hiding. There were many groups of Waldensians in Calabria. The Inquisition sent Grand Inquisitor Michele Ghisheri, who later became Pope Pius V and was sainted, to Calabria in 1560. The country was then ravaged by a violent military campaign and the Waldensians were decimated, an estimated 2000 Waldensian were massacred; those who escaped were forced to renounce their faith.