His father, Gonzalo Alonzo, who was one of the Jews who embraced Christianity in the period of Vicente Ferrer"s missionary propaganda during the early years of the fifteenth century, adopted the life of an ecclesiastic. Torquemada, the inquisitor-general, in the course of the Marrano persecutions, brought against Pedro the charge that his father had died a Marrano.
This person should not be confused with Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea, Count of Aranda. Aranda"s brother, too, earned episcopal honors, being placed at Montreal, Sicily. A similar accusation was made at the same time against another bishop, Juan Arias Davila, of Segovia.
He further set forth in a letter directed against Torquemada"s exaggerated zeal, that, in accordance with an old tradition, distinguished personages of the Church could only be tried for heresy by specially appointed apostolic commissions.
lieutenant was ordered that specifications of the charges against Davila and Aranda be forwarded to Rome. And an extraordinary papal nuncio, Antonio Palavicini, was sent to Castile to institute investigations.
As a result, both bishops were summoned to Rome, where subsequently several distinctions were accorded to Davila, who during the remainder of his life enjoyed high honors. He was arraigned for having taken food before mass and for having desecrated, by scratching, a crucifix and other holy images.
Moreover, a delegation of seven Marranos from Portugal happened to be in Rome at the time for the avowed purpose of purchasing for their constituents the good-will of the pope and his advisers.
Observing the pope"s resolve to imprison Aranda, Garcilaso pointed out the suspicion that was likely to arise in the popular mind from the anomalous incarceration of Aranda while the Marrano delegates, indubitable heretics, were granted favor and freedom. Thus bereft of his worldly and ecclesiastic estate, Aranda ended his days at the Castel Sant"Angelo.
Aranda, too, at the outset won apostolic favor, and was even advanced to the office of prothonotary. But on account of his wealth he soon fell a victim to the cupidity of the pope. They had managed to win the favorable consideration of the papal court, but their efforts were resolutely opposed by Garcilaso, the ambassador of Ferdinand and Isabella.
As a consequence, Aranda and five of the Marranos were arrested and thrown into prison. Pedro Essecuator and Aleman Eljurado, the two leading members of the delegation, succeeded in escaping (April 20, 1497).
