Something I’m finding very interesting is the very fine line that separates “holy” magic and “demon” magic in this story. The only difference between being a saint anointed by God and being demonized as a witch seems to be who is wielding the power. There is a very clear distinction between who is “supposed” to have it and who isn’t. The same exact power in the wrong hands is no longer holy, which really drives home the hypocrisy of the situation. It’s giving “love the sin hate the sinner”.
I don’t know a lot about the Spanish Inquisition and I’m curious how much of this story is accurate to what happened vs magical realism.
Either way, I can’t help but think this parallels the way the modern church bars anyone from leadership in the same way who is not the “right kind of person”. A straight white male preacher is holy and anointed by God while any other preacher would be a “vessel of the devil”. Same message, it’s just that some people are persecuted for it and others praised.
