The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-26
(Continued.)

(Continued.)
WHAT SHOULD BE THOUGHT OF
THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE IN.
QUESTION IN GENERAL AMI
OF THE SPANISH INQUISITION
IN PARTICULAR.
We have proven in the preceding ar.
ticle that the inquisition was Legitimate
f, in principles; and that in the times ane
countries, where it was established
there existed the right to punish those
found guilty of propagating religious
errors Writers like Llorente, Linn
the Spanish Tnquisition in the blacklist
colors, as an unanswerable proof. of the
intolerance and cruelty of the Catholic
Church, with whom they completely
identify it, take it for granted that
all the condemned were innocent, or, al
most, misguided persons who suffered
martyrdom for their honest religious
convictions This may be interesting
reading in sensational works of fiction,
but it is not history. The aim of such
writer's is TO pander to the prejudices
and morbid tastes of a certain class
of readers who, like the authors of
such works, are utterly regardless of
honesty and truth. But should we not
rightly condemn the manner in which
this right was exercised? Was there
not cruelty in executing the sentences
pronounced against the criminals! This
is the question now to be examined.
We shall solve it by the aid of a few
remarks.
Remark 1. This question is far from
having the same Importance as the
first. 1t would be. indeed. absurd to
reproach the Church with the abuses,
of which the judges of the inquisition
may have been guilty. AS we can rea-
sonably impute to a man only the acts
and effects which are the result of his
personal activity, in the same way can
reproach a social body only with what
action, in other words, of it's constitu-
tive principles, of it's laws, and of the
regular exercise of it's authority. Who,
indeed, would consider himself justi-
fed in holding civil law or military
rules responsible for abuses Of author
lty committed by the violation of these
laws and rules. which the civil and
authority have enacted, and
whose transgression they rightly con-
denim and punish? Now, the abuses
which are brought forYard against the
nquisition are far from being the re-
suit of the principles of Catholicism;
hey are, on the contrary, radically OPP
posed to it's spirit, andi in fact, they
lave been severely blamed by the Sover-
brought to their notice. As history
proves, it must be said to the everlast-
ng credit Of the Roman Pontiffs, that |
hey never favored the Spanish In |
altogether. Paul Ill, Plus w. and /
gregory XIII. strenuously opposed its |
into the kingdom of |
ubject to the Spanish Crown From |
he beginning of the action of the
spanish Inquisition, Pope Sixtus w.
vas very ill contented with it, and
rged his objections so strongly that
he ambassadors of both courts were
rdered to leave their respective sta
ions, and Ferdinand commanded all
is subjects to leave Rome. The Pope
t last made concessions by the Bull
f Nov. !, 147S. On receiving further
counts of the cruelties done by the
lquisitors of Seville, he retracted the
'ull, and ordered that in future the
lquisitors should pass no judgment
'ithout the assistance of the Bishops
lie further commanded that the in
ufsition should not be established in
ny other province, there being already
ne ordinary tribunals of the Bishops ,
When Isabella afterwards desired the
-fthdrawal of the decree, which order
the Bishops to sit with the inquisi- /,
,rs, Pope Sixtus w. courteously, but
rmly, refused. The next year, in
rder to temper the severity of the
lquisition, he appointed Manrique, |
rchbishop of Seville, as Papal Judge {
Appeals for all Spain, before whom
II who thought themselves unjustly I
'eated by the inquisitors, could take
leir cases. He further gave an ap- Y
cal from the Archbishop to himself |
he Holy Father thus quashed many 6
and softened the punish ,
ent in other cases. He moreover re- ;
1ired that all those who abjured their
eresy should be treated with the ut .
ost leniency; and conjured the King
10 the Queen "by the bowels Of mer-
: in Jesus Christ" to show more ten
srness to their subjects-to those even
no had unfortunately fallen into err s
IT. But King Ferdinand and after !
ards the Emperor Charles ", replied t
? endeavoring to stop appeals from L
ling carried to Rome. e
Leo Y. (1519) communicated all the Z
hcers of the tribunal of Toledo for 9
cir excessive severity. He demanded r
at all false witnesses should be =
inished according to the rigor of the =,
W, so as to deter others from such a :
iminal course.
1t is well Known that writer's of :,
rtain school Systematically hostile to
ONE think to find in the Spanish In
lisition ample justification of their at s.
-ude toward the Catholic Church.