Moya, Don Mattheo

Moya, Don Mattheo a Spanish theologian, was born in 1607 at Moral, in the diocese of Toledo. Admitted into the Society of Jesus, he taught theology in Alcala and Madrid, became confessor to the duke of Ossuna. when the same was sent to Sicily, and received a like position with queen Mary Anne of Austria, widow of Philip IV. He became somewhat notorious by his Opusculum singularia universae fere theologiae moralis complectens adversus quorumdam expostulationes contra nonnullas Jesuitarum opiniones morales (Palermo, 1657, 4to), published under the pseudonyme of "Amadeus Guimenius," in which he attempted to justify the Jesuits for the laxity of their morals. This treatise was subsequently reprinted in Valentia, Madrid, and Lyon (the latter edition, 1664, in 4to). The Sorbonne, February 5, 1665, denounced it as shameful, scandalous, imprudent, detestable, and as containing propositions which should be entirely eliminated from the Church and human memory. Pope Alexander VII annulled this condemnation in 1666; but when the Parliament appealed from it as error and abuse, and the Sorbonne maintained its right to pass censure on the books, and forbade the Jesuits to teach any of Mova's maxims, the pope changed his tactics, and reproved the Spanish theologian, and delivered his work to the Inquisition, which put it into the Index. Innocent XI, in 1688, condemned it to be burned. Pater Moya not only submitted to the pontifical authority, but even furnished himself a reprint of his book with refutations, and died in old age, probably satisfied with the mischief he had done. Among the writings which it provoked, an anonymous publication, La morale des Jesuites justement condamnee dans le livre du P. Moya Jesuite (Paris, 1681, 12mo), contains an almost complete summary of the controversial arguments. See Richard et Giraud, Biblioth. Sacree, s.v.; Antonio, Biblioth. Nova Hispana, s.v.