About what His Holiness did when the Fathers of the Congregation came to Rome

400 The Cardinal Protector reports the result of the inquest to the Pope 401 The Vicar Provincials are convoked to Rome The anguish of the Friars 402 The opposition of the Zoccolanti si renewed 403 The Superiors go to the Apostolic Palace 404 The Vicar Provincials are received by the Pope 405 They return home to their friaries

(400) Our Fathers arrived in Rome at the house of Saint Nicholas. On behalf of His Holiness the Cardinal Protector did not fail to examine very diligently each of those Fathers and some other Friars too about the matter. Knowing that the Congregation was completely sound, pure and innocent of that evil of which it had been unreasonably blamed and held in suspicion with out any case, he reported everything to His Beatitude.

I am saying this because if there were any, indeed there were very few, who were contaminated by Ochino they fled off after him. The few suspects who remained I say were suspects and not heretics. The Friars imprisoned these. Some were put into the hands of the Holy Office. Others were given to the Protector who had them punished.

(401) When the Pope heard about the soundness of the Congregation and knew of the diligence already exercised by the Capuchin Friars he was very happy. By means of the Protector, the Cardinal of Carpi, he let the Fathers know that he wanted to speak with them and assigned to them a set day. The poor Capuchins still didn’t know what was lodging in the mind of the Pontiff. They feared that he still wished to ruin them. Hence they were very frightened, waiting for the assigned day to have to present themselves before him and suspecting to hear something that would inflict an incurable wound upon their hearts. This was because the rumour was going around that His Holiness wanted to annihilate them completely. Many in the Congregation began to prepare themselves. If His Holiness wanted them to go back to another Order they would sooner ask him permission to go off into a desert and with his good grace and blessing life the anchoritic life. Many prepared guns and hatchets to cut wood. Some prepared mantles and other necessary things. With great joy they awaited the judgement of His Holiness in order to have the opportunity to be able to go into the desert. Others planned to join the Conventual Fathers and under their obedience stay a certain poor little places that they have in the woods and there observe the Rule. Others said they would ask permission to be able to go to Turkey to be able to preach the Christian Faith and receive holy martyrdom. There was the lament of the poor older Friars who considered the fact more maturely and carefully. They thought of how important it is to be in the disgrace of the Supreme Pontiff and how difficult it was without the Congregation to be able to observe the Rule. For them all the other options to be taken were vain except to have recourse to holy humility and abandon themselves to the hands of the Supreme Pontiff and humbly beg His Holiness to allow them to remain in the observance of our Rule. They were comforted saying, “Let us give ourselves to holy prayer and worry about nothing. Because God governs the Supreme Pontiff and His Majesty will never fail anyone who wants to do what is right. You will see that His Holiness will do nothing else to us but good.” With this hope they abided together.

(402) In all the friaries they did little else except pour out tears before the Blessed Sacrament since they were so attacked by the infernal enemy and persecuted by the adversaries who if they ever hoped to be victorious over us it was when they heard of Ochino’s departure from us. Gloating over us, they said, “This time the pointed cowl has had it. God does not tolerate nor like hypocrisy. Instead he unmasks it in his own time. All these Friars are blemished because they have had a good instrument in the powerful tongue of Ochino who has contaminated them all. Little is needed to ruin them because they are in disgrace with the Pontiff. He who makes the Bulls can destroy them. They can help our cause. Their vigour in persecuting us revived in such a way that among themselves they spoke of little else. Regarding seculars they went just to visit their devotees and said, “Do you know? All the Capuchins have to return to us because His Holiness has discovered their hypocrisy.” They also went to our devotees and told them, “The Capuchins are all excommunicated unless the come back to us. What do you say now, you who thought they were holy!” Often publicly when they met them on a journey, as soon as they could make them out in the distance, they cried in a loud voice, “There are the heretics!”

On the other hand, some of those who had come to the Capuchins saw that early support waning. Where everyone once honoured them, now they saw themselves despised by everyone. These left and returned to the others. In order to win their kindness these said every evil against the Capuchins. Among them was Brother Timothy Pugliese. Because he had received some penances from the General for his defects, when he saw that the General had left he immediately jumped up and went off to our adversaries. In agreement with them, Brother Timothy went to His Holiness to testify against us with infamies that the entire Congregation was contaminated. This was more harmful to the poor Congregation than anything else because in the Capuchin habit he stood in the presence of His Holiness and added matches to make the fire bigger. When our Fathers were presented before His Holiness he said publicly, “Holy Father, just as when Adam sinned he contaminated and blemished all mankind that is what Ochino has done. When he became a heretic he contaminated the entire Congregation of Capuchins.”

Then in a loud voice the venerable Father Bernardine of Asti said, “The false witness will not go unpunished.”

He did not fail to do what he could in order to ruin the poor Congregation. Nor did the Lord fail to punish him because he became hated by the world. Everyone called him Judas the traitor. That this man carried out such a wicked task and that he was so ungrateful to his mother Order displeased everyone. Later he wasn’t in any Order and he died that way.

(403) When the fixed day came, all those poor, beaten and pale Friars went in procession (it may be said) to the sacred Palace. If those Friars who went had their share of worry, no less was that which was in the heart of the Friars who stayed at home. When they saw evening arrive and the Fathers had not yet returned, nor did anyone know anything certain about them, a great suspicion entered them. There were those who said that the Pope had put them all in prison. However such a rumour was false. None the less there was nothing else but for such a lacerating sorrow to reside in the hearts of those fellows. To heal themselves they had no other remedy than to begin to pray. They did this most fervently with many tears. If ever a humble and tearful cry came from a troubled heart was heard and heeded by God, I believe it was the prayer that those poor Friars sent to the divine throne.

(404) These languished at home and the others were afflicted in the Palace waiting to hear the final sentence of our ruin. After a long delay they were finally introduced to the Pope. He let all of them kiss the holy feet. Then he talked with them a while. This was all told by the Fathers who were present. They all remained kneeling. At the beginning of his talk he was a little sharp and he give them a good mortification. Then little by little his speech softened. He said how when he was of a lesser rank he had always been most affectionate towards the Congregation and that he was one of the Cardinals who supported it at the time of Clement VII. His house was always open to the Capuchin Friars. He regretted that Ochino had repaid him so, since His Holiness had always loved him and had always shown him the greatest kindness. “None the less he has written me a letter in such a manner that would not have even been written to an infamous cleric.” He also recalled the Bull he had done that was so amply in support of the Congregation. Finally he softened to the extent that we want to offer himself as a kind father provided that the Capuchins wanted to be good men and good sons of the Holy Roman church and true servants of God. Holding a glove in his hand he said, “We see that God himself miraculously keeps you in his hands just as we hold this glove. For when we were in Perugia we decided to uproot you. Having arrived in Rome and called the Consistory, God changed our mind completely. We are of another will. Therefore, be good. Be true, humble Friars of Saint Francis and you will be helped by us. Go because we will provide for your concerns.”

Then he turned to our Reverend Protector who was present there. He said to him, “Monsignor, you are their Protector. Furthermore we make you their Vicar General also. Over them we give you all our authority. We will speak together about what has to be done to help them.”

(405) So with this speech and with his holy blessing, after kissing his feet again, those good Fathers were dismissed from his presence. When they arrived at our Friary they found the poor fellows were all worried, discontent and frightened about the reasons already given. On entering the door someone said, “Do not fear brothers because there is good news!” It was wonderful. In a flash they all gathered and went as one into the church singing the Te Deum. With many tears of joy they gave thanks to God for the help he had given them with the Supreme Pontiff.

Since those Fathers were residing in Rome the Monsignor Protector order that they all stay. Meanwhile our situation was considered.