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48
FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 1991
Contact Jack Parish or David Bitel
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354-5959
I PURELY COMMENTARY
Inquisition
Continued from Page 46
and of Spanish Jewish
history, joined in condemning
the outrage that marked the
publication of the glorified
Isabella biography.
Justice, ecumenism and
quest for truth give credence
to a review of an old case in-
volving perpetuation of hor-
rid and hoary bigotries. One
wonders: would the Catholic
hierarchy today more speedi-
ly respond to Dr. Pool's re-
quest for a repudiation of a
tale like Walsh's "Isabella?"
This Commentator had a
role in exposing the outrage
45 years ago. Your Commen-
tator called an eminent
Catholic scholar, the Rev.
George W. Pare, then in an of-
ficial capacity at the Sacred
Heart Seminary, 2701
Chicago Boulevard in Detroit,
for a view of the issues in the
debate over the Catholic at-
titudes on the Inquisition and
the blood lie .. .
That incident is best defin-
ed in the series of letters, the
Pare statement and the
editorial of Jan. 2, 1931, just
referred to.
Dec. 19, 1930
Rev. George Pare,
Sacret Heart Seminary
Reverend Sir,
I am sending you under
separate cover a copy of to-
day's issue of our paper, and
I am very anxious that you
should read the article which
appears on the first page in
which Dr. David de Sola Pool
criticizes Walsh's Isabella of
Spain, the Last Crusader.
In view of the challenge by
Dr. Pool, I am interested in
securing a statement from a
representative Catholic
scholar commenting on the
views expressed by Dr.
Pool . . .
May I hope to be favored
with a word from you on the
subject in question?
Cordially and
sincerely yours,
Philip Slomovitz
Editor
December 23, 1930
Mr. Philip Slomovitz
Dear Sir:
I have received your kind
note, and also the copy of the
Detroit Jewish Chronicle.
Despite the things my friends
have said of me, I know that
I am far from being a
"representative Catholic
scholar," and consequently
my criticism of Dr. Pool's
review may not have very
much weight.
As a mere student I, of
course, have an opinion, and
it is this. Dr. Pool is too
violent. His review may be
comforting to his own people,
but it will hardly influence
the judgment of the public
outside. He is no more infalli-
ble in saying that Isabella
was "warped by sadistic
perversions" than is Mr.
Walsh in making her a
paragon of virtue.
There are probably only a
few men in the world compe-
tent to make an impartial
and dispassionate study of
the varying fortunes of the
Jewish people in Western
civilization. I doubt very
much whether, in case such a
study were made, either
Christians or Jews would be
absolved from all blame for
the reprehensible things that
have happened.
In regard to the matter of
ritual murder I am entirely in
accord with Dr. Pool. It is
lamentable that every so
often your people should be
stigmatized by a recurrence of
that revolting accusation. I
am glad that the most
If Mr. Walsh has
introduced the
subject of ritual
murder purely from
an objective
historical point of
view, there could
be no quarrel with
him.
notable and exhaustive
refutation of the charge is the
word of Frank, a Catholic
priest.
However, it seems to me
that, in the work under
review, the subject was in-
troduced not because Mr.
Walsh believed it to be true,
but because Isabella believed
it. That is quite another
matter.
Today, both ritual murder
and the Inquisition are un-
thinkable. Five hundred
years ago they were not. In
such matters perspective is
everything.
I am not much impressed by
Dr. Pool's cry that the
Catholic Church must
disavow Mr. Walsh's book.
Because Mr. Walsh is a
Catholic — as I think he is —
it does not follow that the
Church has avowed his book.
For him to pass on the iner-
rancy or inaccuracy of what is
necessarily a matter of
history would be to arrogate
to himself an infallibility
which I fear Dr. Pool does not
concede to him even in the
sphere of religion. If Mr.
Walsh's book can be
discredited by an impartial
and painstaking refutation, it
will be disavowed by every
lover of justice and truth.
Sincerely yours,
George Pare
(