Processus in Causa Fidei. The Red Book of the Inquisitor of Sicily

t has never before been displayed to the public. This extremely rare 18th-century volume is being exhibited once again, offering a unique opportunity to trace the history of the Inquisition in Sicily.

On Monday 16 March 2026, at 4.00 pm, in the Sala Magna of the Monumental Complex of Steri, home to the Rectorate of the University of Palermo, the exhibition-event ‘Processus in Causa Fidei. The Red Book of the Inquisitor of Sicily’ will be inaugurated.

For the first time, more than 310 years after its publication, it will be possible to admire an original copy of the “Modo di processare nel Tribunale del Santo Ufficio della Inquisizione di questo Regno di Sicilia” (Procedures for Trials in the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition of the Kingdom of Sicily), printed in Palermo in 1714 by Antonino Epiro, Printer to the Holy Tribunal.

This extraordinary volume, preserved in the historical collection curated by the “Pietro Scaglione” Centre for Studies on Justice, represents the solemn manual of proceedings, believed to have been used by the most important Sicilian Inquisitor of the time to ritually try heretics.

The initiative, promoted by the University of Palermo and the “Pietro Scaglione” Centre for Studies on Justice, carries strong symbolic significance: the return of the book to the Steri, which housed the Tribunal of the Holy Office of Sicily until its abolition in 1782, represents a bridge between past and present and enriches the exhibition with a unique historical significance.

The exhibition will be open from 16 to 19 March 2026 and is curated by Professors Antonio Scaglione and Francesco Callari, with the support of a scientific committee comprising magistrates, university lecturers and scholars.

The initiative is held under the patronage of the European Parliament, the Senate of the Republic and the Chamber of Deputies, and forms part of the Third Mission activities of the University of Palermo and the University Museum System – UniPa Heritage.

Speakers will include:

Massimo Midiri, Rector of the University of Palermo

Antonio Scaglione, President of the ‘Pietro Scaglione’ Centre for Studies on Justice

Michelangelo Gruttadauria, President of the University Museum System – UniPa Heritage

Francesco Callari, UniPa lecturer and Director of the Pietro Scaglione Centre for Justice Studies

Monsignor Corrado Lorefice, Archbishop of Palermo