Modern Inquisition is a tragic real life story, told by the authoress with a deep indignation, but in a compassionate manner. This petite authoress, five feet tall and weighing 120 pounds, using only the Bible and common decency upon which to make her stand, appears ten feet tall and fearless in her approach to big government, the Catholic Church, and God. The later she ardently believes to be on her side. Her adventures reveal a stamina and perseverance that would do credit to a green beret or legionnaire in battle. Her belief in God and the Bible would also do credit to any saint.

Her is a real life story of the poor uneducated masses during the bloody Spanish Civil War and the years that followed. During that time, hundreds of thousands of innocent people died, their only crime being that they were on the wrong side of the political (and often religious) fence.

Caught between the Nationalists and the Loyalists, the poor had no one to turn to except the Catholic Church which failed them miserably and completely. Most had no way of knowing that the church was actively involved in the struggle, supporting whomever appeared to be in control at any point in time.

The authoress brings many valid questions to light concerning the "marriage" of the Franco Regime and the Catholic Church. History supports her position that both parties initially leaned toward the Germans and Axis powers at the outbreak of World War II. This was perhaps understandable for the self-preservation of a country, but unforgivable for a world-wide church which was and is supposed to stand tall against all tyranny and ungodliness. The authoress also points out the continued alliances today of the Catholic Church and several governments, particularly in many poverty stricken third world countries.

The Catholic Church should respond to the authoress's well researched and documented episodes of the church's continual deviation from the Bible, under the guise of "Tradition and Infallibility." How can any group of "mere mortals "take it upon themselves to be "always right" in view of their well documented and repeated ungodly performances over the centuries---the original inquisition, acceptance of Hitler, placing Mary upon a pedestal, Popes and priests being called "Fathers," church hierarchy living in palatial splendor while little children world-wide die by the thousands from starvation, priests being forbidden to marry, church cover-ups of many priests" molestation of young church members, ad nauseam.

All Spaniards, rich and poor, should read this book if they are to fully understand their roots and the inner workings of the Catholic Church. It appears that in Latin Countries where the church has strongholds, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The world over, fail to recognize that history repeats it felt over and over. Violent revolutions occur, and 1937 was not that long ago.

The book is also a must for reading by the church hierarchy. It clearly provides grass roots reasons as to why the Catholic Church is on the decline worldwide, while smaller religions, that just follow the Bible and the teachings of God, continue to grow.

While the book is filled with a continuum of poverty, starvation, social injustice and deaths of loved ones, the authoress manages to inject several moments of real humor and compassion.

Autorentext

Vicenta Sanchez was born December 15, 1937 in the very small village of Orellana de la Sierra in south central Spain, at the height of the Civil War. One of five surviving children of a poor peasant family, she grew up in this rural area. As a poor child, she received no formal education. Also, forbidden to own or read a Bible, she had to rely upon the local priest for her religious training. She was forced to begin work in the harvest fields at the age of eight and later also worked as a housekeeper and servant for wealthy families.In 1955 she, along with thousands of other poor individuals and families from throughout the country, moved to Madrid in search of work and a better way of life. In Madrid she continued work as a housekeeper and was subjected to horrific criminal and social injustices by the Madrid police and other governmental agencies, all tolerated by the church.In 1961 she married and moved to Germany where she and her husband worked as laborers in large factories. Because hers was a brutal and unhappy marriage, she left her husband and returned to Spain, where she lost her only son due to the absence of even the most elementary medical care for poor people.After the death of her son and in search of her soul, she worked as a volunteer for two and a half years in a Leper Colony, receiving only bed and board.She returned to Germany in 1970 and again worked as a laborer. In 1972 she moved to the United States where she divorced her Spanish, "MACHO" husband and has since remarried. In the States, she attended night school and received her high school diploma.Although no longer a Catholic, she remains very active in religious and Bible activities. She has spoken before church groups and on radio programs concerning the problems she has identified in the Catholic Church. She now lives in the United States where she is married and doing research to improve the story of her book in order to publish it in English. In it she will be addressing the continuing problems of the Catholic Church in third world countries.Vicenta is an ardent environmentalist, conservationist and animal lover. She has two domestic cats, Pancho and Cosita Bonita, that keep her faith and company.