Dealings with the Inquisition; Or, Papal Rome, Her Priests, and Her Jesuits (ePub)

Giacinto Achilli (1803-1860) was an Italian Protestant convert from Roman Catholicism, known for his controversial narrative of conversion and criticism of the Catholic Church's ecclesiastical structures. Achilli's tumultuous life, veering from a Dominican friar to a Protestant preacher, provides a compelling backdrop to his most well-known work, 'Dealings with the Inquisition; Or, Papal Rome, Her Priests, and Her Jesuits'. In this book, Achilli articulates a critical perspective of the Roman Catholic Church, detailing his experiences and encounters with the Inquisition and Jesuit practices which he found to be morally and spiritually conflicting. The work is more than a personal account; it emerges as a revelatory text within the nineteenth-century literature of religious reflection and ecclesiastical criticism. Achilli's literary style is marked by forthright narratives, blending autobiography with commentary, encapsulating a historical period of religious turmoil and debate. His writings were instrumental in illuminating the inner workings of the Catholic Church to a wider audience, contributing to the discussions on clerical celibacy, ecclesiastical corruption, and the pursuit of religious liberty. Achilli's legacy endures in his textual contributions, marked by his pronounced shift from Catholic friar to an advocate for Protestant ideals, illustrating a complex journey of faith and a relentless quest for religious reform.