Ludovico Maria Sinistrari
Ludovico Maria Sinistrari was an Italian Franciscan priest and author.Biography
Born in Ameno, Italy, he studied in Pavia and entered the Franciscan Order in 1647. He taught philosophy and theology to students in Pavia, some of them having been attracted to the area by his fame.
Sinistrari was an advisor to the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition in Rome. He was considered an expert on exorcism and wrote of the effects of various plants and other substances including cubeb, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg. He was also considered an expert on demonology, sins relating to sexuality, and all combinations thereof, including investigations of those individuals accused of sexual relations with demons. Allegations along these lines became staples of later Inquisition investigations of those accused of witchcraft.
Not surprisingly, his advice was, at various times, directed against enemies of the Roman Catholic Church, including his references to Martin Luther as a "devil-begotten man".
