Spanish Inquisition Monologue

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The Inquisition “They are getting closer!” my wife trembles beside me. “Hush, darling, we must be still.” I quietly remind her. Suddenly, the clearing is full of loud voices and torchlight. My young son yelps in fright as he is torn away from his mother, and I am thrown into a cart full of dirty, bedraggled villagers. Helpless, I watch as he is left alone in the clearing, while I am carted off to who-knows-where and my lovely wife is left lying unconscious in the dirt and leaves. The Inquisition has begun. I sit up rather quickly, trembling. I had another nightmare. Slowly, I climb out of bed, careful not to disturb my wife as she sleeps. I tiptoe down the hall, and check in my children’s rooms. All sound asleep. The street is …show more content…

All of them contain some element of the Inquisition. Coincidently, the course I am teaching is about to start a section studying the Inquisition. Today is the day I begin to prepare for my presentation. Maybe I can find something while researching. The Inquisition itself is a very broad field of research. When one hears the word “Inquisition,” the main thing that comes to mind is the Spanish Inquisition. But in reality, the Inquisition was not restricted to just Spain. It started in Rome, the Holy City itself. In 1231, Pope Gregory IX instituted the Papal Inquisition. The name Inquisition comes from the Latin word inquiro, which means “inquire into.” The main goal of the Inquisition was to rid the world of those who did not agree with the Catholic Church. These heretics, as they were called, were not only captured and put on trial, but also brutally tortured. If a person was suspect of saying something heretical, there was no escape. Once caught by the Inquisition, a person was rarely ever heard from …show more content…

Instead, they increased their persecution. The Spanish Inquisition was officially defeated in 1834, after almost thirty years of debate among the royalty of Spain. Interestingly, the Roman Inquisition is still in existence today; only under another name. In 1908, the Roman Inquisition was given the new title of “Holy Office.” The name was changed again in 1965 to “Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith.” Although the Inquisition may still be alive, it does not serve any purpose today other than to spread Catholic knowledge, just as harmless as any other religion. I was thankful to learn

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