1631: Jesuit Opponent of Torture: ‘Whatever the Torturers Want to Be True, Is True’

German Jesuit priest Friedrich von Spee, an opponent of the torture and trial of people accused of witchcraft, writes: “It is incredible what people say under the compulsion of torture, and how many lies they will tell about themselves and about others; in the end, whatever the torturers want to be true, is true.” [Vanity Fair, 12/16/2008; Catholic Encyclopedia, 2009]