The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1862

Allan Kardec

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Death of the Bishop of Barcelona

We got a letter from Spain about the death of the Bishop of Barcelona the very one who had three hundred Spiritist books burned by the hands of the executioner on October 9th, 1861; he died on the 9th of the current month followed by the habitual pageantry of the chiefs of the Church. It is just nine months after the event and the act of faith already produces results presented by everyone; the acceleration of the propagation of Spiritism in that country. In fact the repercussion of that act, unthinkable in this century, brought the attention of a multitude of people to Spiritism, people who had never heard about it and the press, regardless of their position, could not remain quite about it.

The exhibition of such apparatus was important enough to excite the curiosity of the masses attracting them to the forbidden fruit. This happened given that nobody does something like this if it has no importance or something that is just a hopeless dream.

It is also natural that their thoughts travelled back in history a few centuries ago remembering that in the same country they used to burn not only books but people. What could then be contained in such books to have deserved the solemnity of being burnt at the stake? That is what they wanted to find out.

The result in Spain was the same as everywhere else where Spiritism was attacked. Without the mockery or the serious attacks that Spiritism suffered it would count on ten times less followers than it actually does. The more insistent and violent the criticism the more it becomes relevant and developed. Senseless attacks go blank whereas the shinning beam awakes even the most dormant soul who wants to see what is going on. That is all that we ask, assured in anticipation about the results of a serious examination. That is a positive fact for every time that in a given location the anathema falls upon them from the top of the cathedra we are sure that this will enlarge the ranks of our followers and see them surging if they were not there before.

Spain could not have escaped such a fate. Hence, there isn’t a single Spiritist who was not happy for having learned about the act of faith of Barcelona, soon followed by the Alicante where more than one adversary deplored an act from which religion had nothing to gain.

We daily see the irrefutable proof of the progress of Spiritism amidst the most educated classes of that country where it already counts on numerous and eager followers.

One of our corresponding members from Spain suggested to us that we evoke the Bishop of Barcelona. We were prepared to do that and even had prepared some questions when he manifested spontaneously to one of our mediums, responding in anticipation to all questions that we intended to address to him even before they were asked. His communication of an absolutely unforeseeable character, contains the following passage among others:

“Helped by your spiritual leader I could come to teach you with my example and say: do not reject any of the announced ideas because one day, a day that shall last and weigh like a century, such compiled ideas will scream like the voice of the angel: Cain, what have you done to your brother? What have you done out of the power that should elevate and console humanity? Someone that voluntarily lives blind and deaf in spirit, as others live in their bodies, will suffer, atone, and be reborn to begin again the intellectual work avoided by laziness and pride. That terrible voice said to me: You burnt the ideas and the ideas will burn you!

Pray for me. Pray for God is pleased by the prayers addressed to him by the persecuted in favor of the persecutor.

The one who was a bishop and is no more than a penitent.”


That contrast between the words of the spirit and those of the man is not surprising. Every day we see people who think differently after their death from what they thought when alive, once the blindfold drops from the eyes and that is a proof of superiority. The only ones to persist on the error and on the prejudices of the earthly life are the inferior and vulgar Spirits.

When alive the Bishop of Barcelona saw Spiritism through a particular prism that altered its colors or better saying that he did not know. He now sees it in its true light and he probes its depth. Since the veil has fallen it is no longer a matter of opinion to him or an ephemeral theory and can be buried in the ashes. It is a fact. It is the revelation of a natural law, an irresistible law like gravity, a law that through the force of things must be accepted by all as everything else that is natural. That is what he understands now and that embarrassed him to say that “that ideas that he wanted to burn will now burn him” or in other words they shall prevail upon the prejudices that led him to condemn them.

We cannot wish it to be so for the threefold reason that a true Spiritist does not desire it to anyone, does not keep hard feelings, forgetting the offenses and, following the example of Jesus, forgive the enemies. Second because far from harming us he served us. Finally because he claims from us the prayer of the persecuted for the persecutor as being the most pleasing to God, a thoroughly charitable thought, worthy of the Christian humility revealed in his final words: “The one who was bishop and who is no more than a penitent”. Beautiful image of the earthly treasures left at the border of the grave by the soul who must present itself to God undressed from earthly imposed harnesses.

Spiritist, let us forgive him for the harm he intended to cause us as we would like to have our offenses forgiven and let us pray for him on the anniversary of the act of faith in Barcelona that took place on October 9th, 1861.


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