A well researched book with footnotes and references leading to even more documentation. The author, a conservative Catholic with a FBI background, has documented a disturbing exposé though many government files remains classified.

Torture had long been practiced by bishops, but it was formally authorized for the Medieval Inquisition in 1252. It should have ended in 1816 when a papal bull forbade its use, but secret torture continued in the Papal States until they were seized by French Forces...