TORTURE FOR THE TRUTH

Torture was one of the means by which the Inquisition brought heretics to confess their sins

Confession was the aim of the Spanish Inquisition. To return a heretic or apostate to the Catholic fold the Inquisition had to get the wrongdoer to confess, otherwise they would forever remain outside the church. They also had to uncover the truth. Their handbook declared that in cases that were “half proven” the accused could be tortured. Because the Inquisition was not supposed to draw blood or mutilate their prisoners their methods of torture were necessarily inventive. With just three methods they managed to draw confessions from those who failed to provide them with proof of innocence.

Thanks to Inquisition records we know the exact words of some of its victims. One woman who was being tortured is documented as saying: “Gentlemen, for God’s sake, have mercy on me. Oh Lord! Take these things off my arms, sir, let go of me, they are killing me!”