Held heretical doctrines
Son of Giovanni and Agnese née Cassar, Petrus Cassia was born in Qormi in 1524. He started his education at the school of Rev Julianus Borg, then spent five years at Rev Andreas Axiaq’s school in Notabile. In 1545 he was still a cleric and was still one of Axiaq’s students. The following year Bishop Cubellas institited proceedings against him on account of certain statements concerning Purgatory which he made together with Cleric Laurentius Baglio.
On 10 February 1547, while studying Humane Letters, he sought permission from the local ecclesiastical authorities to be allowed to proceed to Sicily for his ordination in Minor and Major Orders. He was ordained priest at Palermo by the Bishop of Sciacca on 10 February 1547. He had involved himself in simony in his ordination to the Major Orders, as he paid five tari for the Subdeaconship, seven for the Deaconship, and eight for the Priesthood. Later in 1577, he was absolved from the censures and irregularities incurred on these occasions.
In 1550 Cassia was residing in Citta Vecchia carrying out the duties of Curate, and by then he had been serving the Cathedral for seven years. On his return to Malta he was mainly attached to the Cathedral. In 1568 he was serving at Ħaż-Żebbuġ, while in 1574 there is clear evidence that he was back at the Cathedral until 1588.
In April 1562 he was detained in prison. On the 13 of the same month he received orders to retain his residence at Notabile for his prison. A few months later, on 5 July he was forbidden to frequent a certain woman named Caterina under penalty of twenty-five uncias.
When in January 1575 Cassia was presented in front of Mgr Dusina with a prayer in Latin, and asked to explain it, Cassia bluntly stated that he had no knowledge of the Latin Grammar. On being examined still further he was found utterly ignorant. He stated that the Bishop who authorised him to hear Confessions, did not care to subject him to any examination whatsoever. Moreover, in the administration of this sacrament, he was using a defective formula. Due to this sad situation, the Apostolic Visitor suspended him.
The same Prelate, later that year, proceeded against him also on account of heretical doctrines which he had harboured years before, while he was a student at Rev Axiaq school in the early 1540s. On 11 July 1575 Rev Petrus started being examined and provided various details concerning his presence at Axiaq’s school. At first he insisted that Axiaq did not teach him any heretical doctrines. Notwithstanding that he was subjected to torture, he still maintained that he had never adhered to any heretical doctrines. Immediately afterwards Rev Petrus wrote a letter to the Inquisitor stating that on St Francis feast, he had implored the Holy Ghost to help him remember what had actually taken place in his youthful days and he had a vision in this regard that helped him recapitulate those events. Here he admitted that he had pronounced certain words concerning Purgatory’s existence but was absolved by his parish priest.
Don Dun Cassia was still detained in the Inquisitor’s prison, but finally on 11 November, 1575, he admitted that after praying to the Holy Ghost, as he had already done before, he became fully conscious that he had actually adhered to Rev Axiaq’s assertions.
On the following 5 of November, he confirmed all the contents of these disposition (concerning Purgatory). Inquisitor Mgr Sant’Umano, on 19 November pronounced his sentence against him stating that as he had held heretical doctrines, he had to make a public abjuration at the Annunciation Church of Vittoriosa, which he had actually did the following day. He was moreover, to wear the abitello; he was to be assigned a place to serve him as a prison for a determinate time; every Monday he had to celebrate Mass for the Dead; and he was to pay a sum of money to the Inquisitor’s Tribunal. The amount of this sum was left at his discretion. After this sentence Rev Petrus continued to serve in the Cathedral.
About 1580 Cassia built a church dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady in the cemetery of Qormi’s parish church, later known as Ta’ Stiano.
In his last will in the deeds of Notary Giacomo Sillato on 3 September 1581 Cassia made a bequest of a field ‘Id-Demnija’ for the maintenance of the above mentioned church, and the celebration of its feast.
He must have died by October 1581, as during that month his benefice was assigned to another ecclesiastic.
This biography is part of the collection created by Michael Schiavone over a 30-year period. Read more about Schiavone and his initiative here.