Kresta in the Afternoon – October 31, 2023 – Hour 1
How should Catholics feel about Reformation Day? Al discusses and then talks with Sandra Miesel about the Spanish Inquisition. Also, LuElla D’Amico looks at Edgar Allan Poe’s Catholic imagination.
Kresta Comments: How should Catholics feel about Reformation Day?
Today many Protestant churches celebrate, or at least observe, Reformation Day. Catholics certainly don’t celebrate it – so how should we feel? Would the Leaders of the Reformation think it was a success? Al has some thoughts.
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The Inquisitor who wouldn’t burn witches
The Spanish Inquisition is among the most misunderstood events in Medieval history, and many people simply associate it with the Monty Python sketch – “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” Well, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition to show wise restraint in dealing with witchcraft—unless somebody has heard of Alonso de Salazar Frías, ‘The Witches’ Advocate.” Sandra Miesel joins us with his story.
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The Inquisitor who wouldn’t burn witches
Sandra’s Reading List
Julio Carlo Baroja, The World of the Witches. Trans. O.N.V Glendinning. (Chicago, 1965)
The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition. Ed. Richard M. Golden. (Santa Barbara CA, 2006)
Gustav Henningsen, The Witches’ Advocate: Basque Witchcraft and the Spanish Inquisition. (Reno, 1980)
Henry Kamen, The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision. (London, 1997)
William Monter, Ritual, Myth & Magic in Early Modern Europe. (Athens, OH, 1983)
Frontiers of Heresy: The Spanish Inquisition from the Basque Lands to Sicily. (Cambridge, 1990)
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Suffering and Solace: Edgar Allan Poe’s Catholic Imagination
In his essay “Philosophy of Composition,” Edgar Allan Poe writes that “the death of a beautiful woman is the most poetical topic in the world.” Just a year after he penned these words, his young wife died of tuberculosis. While there is no evidence Poe ever considered converting to the Catholic faith, one can still find Catholic influences on his writings – especially when it comes to suffering. We’ll talk more about it with Dr. LuElla D’Amico.
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Suffering and Solace: Edgar Allan Poe’s Catholic Imagination
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