author
Giacinto Achilli
b. 1803
A turbulent and controversial figure of 19th-century Italy, he moved from the Dominican order into evangelical Protestant activism and became widely known in Britain. His story is also closely tied to the famous libel case brought against John Henry Newman.
1 Audiobook
Dealings with the Inquisition; Or, Papal Rome, Her Priests, and Her Jesuits
by Giacinto Achilli
About the author
Born around 1803 in the Papal States, Giacinto Achilli was an Italian Dominican friar and priest whose life took a dramatic turn after clashes with Roman Catholic authorities. Accounts of his career are complicated and often disputed, but reliable reference sources agree that he was imprisoned by the Roman Inquisition, left Catholic ministry, and eventually escaped from Italy.
Afterward, he became an energetic advocate for Protestant evangelical causes, especially among English supporters interested in religious reform in Italy. He lectured, wrote about his experiences, and attracted a great deal of attention as a symbol of resistance to papal authority.
Achilli is remembered today less for literary fame than for the public storm that surrounded him. In England he sued John Henry Newman for libel in a case that became one of the best-known religious controversies of the era, helping secure his place in 19th-century church and political history.