The inquisition in the Spanish dependencies: Sicily—Naples—Sardinia—Milan—the Canaries—Mexico—Peru—New GranadaLea, Henry Charles
History
The inquisition in the Spanish dependencies: Sicily—Naples—Sardinia—Milan—the Canaries—Mexico—Peru—New Granada
Lea, Henry Charles
Inquisition
That same morning the publication of evidence was made, consisting
wholly of documents, such as the Constitution of October 22, 1814,
sundry proclamations signed by Morelos and his printed letter to the
Bishop of Puebla, together with the letter of the Bishop of Mechoacan
declaring him to be an excommunicated heretic. He was ordered to answer
with the advice of his counsel and the three advocates of prisoners were
named to him, of whom he selected Don José María Gutiérrez de Rosas. He
was sent to his cell to be brought back directly for an interview with
his counsel, who was sworn in as customary. There was no time to make
copies of the papers, so the unusual course was adopted of entrusting
the originals to Rosas, with instructions to return them and present the
defence within three hours. In the afternoon he did so and the result
showed him to be a ready writer, but he was more occupied in justifying
himself for undertaking the defence than in making a plea for Morelos.
He savagely denounced the insurrection and the Córtes of Cádiz, whose
principles it represented, and he concluded abruptly with a few lines,
alleging the repentance of the defendant, from which he hoped for
absolution. The inquisitor thereupon ordered the fiscal to be notified
and the case to be concluded.
The next morning, November 26th, Flores assembled his calificadores and
exhibited to them the proceedings and the condemnations of the
insurgent Constitution and proclamations. Fray Domingo Barreda opined
that the accused savored of heresy, but the rest were unanimous that he
was a formal heretic, who denied his guilt and was not only suspect of
atheism but an atheist outright. In the afternoon was held the _consulta
de fe_ to decide upon the sentence. Without a dissentient voice it
agreed that a public auto should be held at 8 o’clock the next morning
in the audience chamber, in the presence of a hundred prominent persons
to be designated by Flores. That Morelos should there be declared guilty
of malicious and pertinacious imperfect confession, a formal heretic who
denied his guilt, a disturber and persecutor of the hierarchy and a
profaner of the sacraments; that he was guilty of high treason, divine
and human, pontifical and royal, and that he should be present at the
mass in the guise of a penitent, in short cassock without collar or
girdle and holding a green candle, which, as a heretic and fautor of
heretics, he should offer to the priest. As a cruel persecutor of the
Holy Office, his property should be confiscated to the king. Although
deserving of degradation and relaxation, for the crimes subject to the
Inquisition, yet, as he was ready to abjure he was, in the unlikely case
of the viceroy sparing his life, condemned to perpetual banishment from
America and from all royal residences and to imprisonment for life in
the African presidios, with deprivation of all preferment and perpetual
irregularity. His three children were declared subject to infamy and the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account