By CAROLE BRESLIN
The enemies of the Catholic Church attack her for many things, one of which is the Inquisition or more specifically the Spanish Inquisition. Although it was not until the Middle Ages that the Inquisition became more widespread, the roots of its activities date back to the time of St. Augustine when heresy threatened the eternal destiny of so many souls.
St. Augustine opposed the use of force as did St. Bernard who wrote, “By persuasion, not by violence, are men to be won to the faith.” Thomas Aquinas also abhorred heresy — in particular the unrepentant heretics, who, he thought, should be put to death. He held that the man who destroys the soul is much more dangerous than the one who can destroy the body.
An Inquisition is: “The special court or tribunal appointed by the Catholic Church to discover and suppress heresy and to punish heretics” (The Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, p. 280). In the late 15th century, the Spanish Inquisition developed as a result of certain groups in southern Spain who were converting insincerely rather than being driven from their homes. One of the persons who acted as an inquisitor was St. Peter Arbues.
St. Peter Arbues has been cited by those who criticize the Church for abuses during the Inquisition as being brutally cruel, and they even accuse him of having murdered several persons. In fact, there is no historical evidence that he directly or indirectly killed anyone.
Who was this man, accused of such things who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church? Peter Arbues was born around 1441 in northern Spain. His father, Antonio Arbues, was a nobleman; his mother was Sancia Ruiz.
Peter studied in Huesca, about 205 miles northwest of Madrid, after which he went to Bologna in northern Italy to study at the Spanish college of St. Clement. While there he quickly became known not only for his piety, but also for his gift of scholarship.
He graduated with degrees in both theology and law and returned to Spain. Settling in Saragossa at the Cathedral Chapter of canons regular at La Seo, he made his religious profession in 1474 at the age of 33. Not long after King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain received permission to weed out the insincere Marranos, who were converts from Judaism.
It is necessary at this time to review the history of Spain just before this time. Around 711 the Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula and remained there for centuries. At the time both these Moors and the Jewish people lived in peaceful coexistence.
However, as time went on, some among the Jewish people tried to convert and subdue the Christians in southern Spain, and the Moors were endeavoring to do the same. To protect the Christians, the crown decided that the people committing such deeds must either leave Spain or convert to Christianity.
Hence, there were many false converts who “embraced” the Christian faith for material reasons rather than for spiritual reasons. These false converts at times then spread their errors inside the churches to which they belonged. Because of these errors which threatened to undermine the faith, an Inquisition was renewed.
At first the attempts to weed out the heretics that were localized failed. Then, when Ferdinand and Isabella took over the running of the investigations, it became much more organized. After Pope Sixtus IV on November 1, 1478 permitted Ferdinand and Isabella to establish a tribunal of Inquisition, they appointed the Dominicans on September 17, 1480 to carry out the work.
Thomas Torquemada became the chief of the Spanish Inquisition that was not without its own abuses both in the civil arm as well as in the ecclesiastical arm of the hearings and punishments. In 1484, Torquemada appointed Peter Arbues to be the provincial inquisitor of the Kingdom of Aragon. St. Peter’s background in both theology and law uniquely qualified him to fill the position.
His appointment was viewed with trepidation by both the converts — whether or not they were genuine converts or not — and the other members of the Aragonese community. Affronted by the appointment, they saw Peter Arbues as a threat to their freedoms. Would he do away with their local laws? Would he dispense with their privileges, especially those of the powerful Marranos families?
St. Peter has been accused of many atrocities and even murder of some Marranos, although there is absolutely no evidence of such barbarity. In reality, the civil arm was more responsible for injustices and abuses.
Even unfounded accusations were entertained, but these were tempered by a tribunal hearing the case rather than allowing a local ruler who may have sought to put the alleged heretic to death. Such heretics were not only a threat to the Church, but also to the local rulers.
Thus, when St. Peter Arbues heard a case, he might make enemies of either the local rulers or the powerful families being tried. The Sanchez, Montesa, Paternoy, Santangel, and other families of Aragon were included among those tried by Arbues. They vowed to avenge the fate of their relatives.
While Peter Arbues rested in his bedchamber an assassin entered and tried to kill him but failed. On September 15, 1485, while St. Peter celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, they attacked Peter again, wounding him mortally. He died two days later, September 17, 1485, from his injuries
Juan de La Abadia was implicated in the death of Peter Arbues since his father had been condemned and his sister had been executed. Because the assassins not only killed Peter Arbues but also violated the sacredness of the sanctuary, a great furor arose. This resulted in many Jews being arrested and executed for complicity in the murderous plot.
Considered a martyr for the faith, Peter Arbues was beatified by Pope Alexander VII in 1661 and canonized in 1867 by Pius IX. His feast is celebrated on September 17. The major shrine for St. Peter is in the La Seo Cathedral of Saragossa where he was killed. Not surprisingly, some Protestants and Jews protested the canonization of Peter Arbues.
Dear St. Peter Arbues, thank you for standing up so boldly for the Truth. In our times of persecution and facing travesty of justice, obtain for us the courage of martyrs to hold firm in our faith. Help us to look beyond this temporal life to eternity. By so doing may we fearlessly defend the Truth and our freedom to practice it. Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
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