Despite clear instructions from Rome to punish blasphemers severely, profanity proved difficult to control in Malta where heavy swearing dates back at least three centuries.

The Inquisitors deemed profane words and actions in contempt of God, the Virgin Mary or the saints as blasphemous and much more offensive to God than superstition.

An edict by Pope Benedict XIV in 1745 condemning blasphemers, which was displayed in public places and read out in churches, is among the artefacts being exhibited at the Inquisitor’s Palace, in Vittoriosa.

Preceded by the medieval and Spanish inquisition, the Roman one saw a series of 61 prelates being sent by the Holy See between the 16th and 18th centuries. Many became cardinals or governors and two were later popes: Pope Innocent XII and Pope Alexander VII. Their chasuble and red liturgical shoes are on display at the palace.

Curator Kenneth Cassar said the exhibition, organised by Heritage Malta and which will remain open until May 1, was meant to show how the inquisitors spent their days on the island.