ABSTRACT

Written records of confession provide exceptional insight into private histories of women and the gender dynamics that shaped them. The sacrament of confession entailed an implicit inequality between men and women, given that the priest was considered to be shrouded in divine power while the penitent had to submit herself to his moral authority. Nevertheless, confession also offered women the opportunity to express themselves and to discuss and understand their spiritual concerns. Some hoped their confessors would recognize their religious charisma, which would involve an affirmation of individuality, autonomy and personal power.

In Spain, we find key information about interactions between confessors and female penitents in inquisitorial trials. Specifically, sixteenth- to nineteenth-century records pertaining to the crime of solicitation shed light on such relationships. Whereas other offences were publicized, for moralizing or intimidating ends, the abusive use of confession by many clergymen – who sexually seduced and took advantage of their penitents – was kept secret to avoid disgracing the sacrament.

An exception to this rule is found in the anti-papist treatise written by Antonio Gavín (1682–1750), a Spanish priest who, after converting to Protestantism in 1715 and adopting a rational religiosity, decided to denounce what he considered the false and corrupt practices of the Catholic Church, presenting his country as an antithesis to the Enlightenment. Gavín dedicated a considerable part of his work to describing relationships between confessors and their female penitents. Based on an inquisitorial trial that began in 1705, the account of Francisca Guerrero and her confessor, Miguel Navarro, holds special interest. Navarro himself was in charge of sanctifying the penitent and presenting her as a beata, which brought her substantial fame until her ultimate fall from grace.

摘要

认罪的书面记录提供了对女性私人历史和塑造她们的性别动态的非凡洞察力。忏悔圣事隐含着男女之间的不平等，因为神父被认为被神力笼罩，而忏悔者必须服从他的道德权威。尽管如此，忏悔也为女性提供了表达自己、讨论和理解她们的精神关切的机会。有些人希望他们的忏悔者能够承认他们的宗教魅力，这将涉及对个性、自主性和个人权力的肯定。

在西班牙，我们找到了关于在审讯审判中忏悔者和女性忏悔者之间互动的关键信息。具体而言，16 至 19 世纪有关招揽罪的记录揭示了这种关系。虽然其他罪行被公开，以达到道德化或恐吓目的，但许多神职人员滥用忏悔 - 他们性引诱并利用他们的忏悔者 - 被保密以避免使圣餐蒙羞。

西班牙神父安东尼奥·加文 (Antonio Gavín，1682-1750 年) 撰写的反教皇论文中有一个例外，他在 1715 年皈依新教并接受了理性的宗教信仰后，决定谴责他认为是虚假和腐败的东西天主教会的做法，将他的国家描述为启蒙运动的对立面。加文在他的大部分工作中都致力于描述忏悔者和她们的女性忏悔者之间的关系。根据 1705 年开始的审讯，弗朗西斯卡·格雷罗和她的忏悔神父米格尔·纳瓦罗的叙述特别有趣。纳瓦罗本人负责使忏悔者成圣并将她呈现为贝塔，这为她带来了巨大的名气，直到她最终失宠。