Protectors (Church and Slavery, part 5)

Bartolomé de las Casas arrived in Hispaniola in 1502. Like other wealthy men from Spain arriving in the New World, he claimed land, participated in raids against the native Taino, and owned native slaves. In 1510, he became the first man ordained a Catholic priest in the New World.

That same year, a group of Dominicans arrived on the island. They were appalled by the horrible treatment of the native people and disregard for their well-being and life. They denied slaveowners the sacrament of confession, including Father Las Casas. Father Las Casas argued with Dominicans, claiming their right to subjugate the Indians. The colonists complained to the King of Spain, and the Dominicans were recalled.

In 1513, he participated in the conquest of Cuba. But in 1514, as he was studying the book of Sirach, he concluded that the Spanish actions against the natives were unjust. It was a true and sincere conversion of heart. He would dedicate the rest of his life fighting for the rights of Indians. He freed his slaves and starting preaching against the inhumane treatment of the Indians. He met the same resistance the Dominicans had. So he went back to Spain to argue reform from there. He faced intense opposition from the New World, as the Spanish colonists depended on the slave labor for their wealth. In Spain, they also benefited from the New World resources, but they were willing to have debates about proper treatment of natives and reforms, because it was all theoretical on their end. The brutality was an ocean away; out of sight, out of mind.

At first, las Casas suggested freeing the Indians and replacing them with Africans, because his initial goal was the better treatment of Indians. But later he repented of that and advocated for the end of slavery. While the king respected him enough to give him an office to debate reforms and the pope eventually elevated him to bishop, his only true supporters were the Dominicans. In 1523, he became a Dominican friar.

In 1550, the Valladolid debate was held to hear all the arguments on the morality of the situation in the New World. It discussed the rights of indigenous people, treatment by European colonizers, justification for a slavery labor system, and the necessity of evangelization. There were multiple viewpoints of how natives were to be converted and integrated into Spanish society in the colonies. Las Casas obviously argued that the Indians had rights. Humanist Juan Ginés de Sepúlveda argued that evidence of human sacrifice and cannibalism showed the Indians committed “crimes against nature” and should be suppressed by any means.

The debate resulted only in more talks of reform. Slaves would be tolerated as long as they were treated “well.” The import of Africans to the New World continued to grow. Efforts to reform slavery were admirable; abolishment seemed too impossible. If they couldn’t be free, then at least the slaves could be given some protection. But the reforms only made slavery seem acceptable. If you’re debating about the right way to do something, then you’ve already passed the point of debating whether it should be done at all. Still, given the fierce opposition they face, the Dominicans and others who spoke up for the rights of natives deserve credit. They saw the person, with a soul and human dignity. The second Archbishop of Mexico, Dominican Alonso de Montúfar, protested the importation of African slaves in 1560. He and others questioned the “justness” of enslaving Africans and sending them to the New World.

Amongst the colonizers were missionaries sincerely seeking the evangelization of Indians. Besides the cultural differences, the missionaries faced the challenge of convincing Indians that these Europeans were different from the Europeans killing and enslaving them. Dominicans and Franciscans were in the New World almost immediately. The Jesuits, only founded in 1540, reached the New World by 1570. Missions, run by the religious orders, rounded up Indian populations and put them into European-style settlements; under the law, they had the rights of children, with the orders serving as their guardians. Some missionaries abused this power. Others treated the Indians with more respect, and the communities gave the Indians some form of safe communities, free of threat of enslavement. Even with good intentions, European disease often ran through the missions. They faced raids both from natives resisting colonization and Spanish seeking slaves. In the 1640s, the Jesuits armed Indians to form militias to protect themselves. Even if infantilizing the natives, the Jesuits were siding with them over their fellow Europeans.

The pope also sided with the Jesuits’ protection of the natives. In 1591, Pope Gregory XIV ordered owners of native slaves in the Philippines to free their slaves and pay reparations. In 1639, Pope Urban VIII forbade the slavery of Indians in Brazil, Paraguay, and the West Indies. But these condemnations were not universal, or even heeded in those areas. Pope Urban VIII even owned slaves himself, purchasing men from the slave trade in Malta for the papal galleys.

As colonization increased, so did the trans-continental slave trade. Millions of natives in the Amercias and Africans lost their freedoms and lives to abuse and forced labor. The few European voices calling for abolition and dignity were drowned out by the greed and power driving the conquest of foreign lands. The Church, while offering debates about reform and giving some directives on the rights of natives, mostly flowed with the attitudes of the times. I think this is the main danger of a powerful Church; it will seek to retain power at any cost, even the cost of its most sacred mission. The early Church was small communities who had nothing to lose but their souls, so they stood up for all, cared for the poorest among them, and sacrificed their lives for the faith. The Church at the height of its power was an empire, with wealth and land and influence. To keep that, it had to play politics, accept dirty money, and kill enemies, both real and imagined. Those who truly sought to spread the Gospel and care for the poor and be Christ in such a world faced both external and internal opposition. There was still good to be found among Church leaders, but not all who claimed to be representatives of Christ were.