Cayetano Ripoll

In thisCatalan name,the first or paternalsurnameisRipolland the second or maternal family name isPla;both are generally joined by the conjunction "i".

Plaque in Valencia in memory of Gaietà Ripoll

Gaietà Ripoll I Pla(Spanish:Cayetano Ripoll) (1778 in allegedly fromSolsona– 26 July 1826 inValencia) was aCatalanschoolmaster. Executed for teachingdeistprinciples, he is the last known victim of theSpanish Inquisition,although technically the Inquisition no longer existed at that time, and it was theJunta de Feof Valencia that had him hanged by thecivil authority.

Life

Ripoll was a soldier in the Spanish army during thePeninsular War(1807–1814). French forces captured him, and he was a prisoner of war. While being held, he associated with a group ofQuakersand became aware ofdeism.He soon became a deist.

Upon returning to Spain, he used his position as a schoolmaster to teach others about deism. There, theSpanish Inquisitionsoon accused him of being a deist and teaching his students about deism. He was later arrested for heresy and held in jail for nearly to two years.

Accusation

The Chairman of the Board of Faith from theDiocese of Valencia,Miguel Toranzo, an inquisitor, sent to thenuncioArchbishopofValenciaa report that said Ripoll did not believe inJesus Christ,in the mystery of theTrinity,in theIncarnationofGod the Son,in the HolyEucharist,in theVirgin Mary,in theHoly Gospels,in theinfallibility of the Holy Catholic Church,or theApostolic Roman Congregation.Ripoll did not fulfill hisEaster duty.He discouraged children from reciting the 'Ave Maria Purisima' and suggested they need not bother making thesign of the cross.According to Ripoll, it was not necessary to hearMassin order to save one'ssoulfromdamnation,and he failed to instruct them to give due reverence to theSacraments of the Catholic Church,even theViaticumadministered for the comfort of the sick and to pardon the dying that they mightresurrectintoheaven.

Sentence

For his denial of theCatechism of the Catholic ChurchtheSpanish Inquisitionclergymen requested Ripoll beburnt at the stakefor hisreligious offenses.However, thecivil authoritychose tohanghim instead. Allegedly, the Church authorities, upset that Ripoll had not been burned at the stake, placed his body into a barrel, painted flames on it and buried it inunconsecrated ground.Other reports state that the Church authorities placed his body into a barrel and burned the barrel, throwing the ashes into a river. Ripoll is recorded as the last known person to be executed under sentence from a Church authority for having committed the act of heresy.Ripoll's famous last words were, "I die reconciled to God and man."