Letter of May 12, 2006

Sainthood Sought for Las Casas (+1566)
‘Conscience of the New World’
Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling, Bishop of Lansing

On the final day of their annual meeting in Washington during November 2005, the U.S. Bishops heard a noble request. It was a ‘first’ in my memory. It was a spiritual request from Spain’s Conference of Catholic Bishops.

They graciously petitioned us to support and promote the canonization of a Spanish Dominican, Fray Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566). Though he began and ended his earthly life in Spain, for most of his life he served God and the native peoples of the New World, mostly in what is now Mexico.

His life as ‘Protector of the Indians’ was a heroic and ceaseless struggle that played out in Mexico and at the Royal Court of Spain.

The Spanish Bishops highlighted the spiritual and historic bonds shared by Spain and the Americas in the person of this remarkable Spanish friar.

The U.S. Bishops voted unanimously on November 15, 2005 to join the Spanish Bishops in the cause for canonization of Fray Bartolome de las Casas.

Las Casas is a voice that speaks to us from 500 years ago. In the New World, shortly after the Discovery by Columbus, he was a convincing and inspiring voice for justice. Between 1506 and his death in 1566, he spent most of his life in the New World.

He and his brother priests of the Order of St. Dominic were formidable champions promoting the welfare of the native peoples. With strong faith and adherence to moral principles they taught and promoted the dignity, rights and liberty of native peoples. They convinced the Pope, Paul II and King Philip II of Spain to decree officially on behalf of the ‘Indians’ (People of the Indies).

Our World, 500 years later faces massive national and global challenges to the value of human persons and their dignity, rights and liberty. We can learn much from this priest and his Dominican confreres. History is a great teacher. Someone said: "Those who do no know history, are bound to repeat it."

Bartolome did not begin as a champion of New World native people. He was among the majority of Spaniards and other Europeans caught up in the fever pitch excitement for adventure and riches in the New World.

As we will see, two decisive events opened his eyes and changed the direction of his life. The grace of conversion captured his mind and heart. His life is an ongoing drama of divine grace calling and transforming this man, later a priest, and his steadfast and heroic mission of justice and love amidst hateful and cunning opposition.

Bartolome was born in Seville, Spain in 1484 into a merchant family. His first impressions of a ‘New World’ was at age nine on March 31, 1493. He was in the great crowds that watched Columbus parade through Seville six months after his discovery voyage. That same year his father and uncle joined Columbus’ second voyage to the Americas.

Eventually, at eighteen, Bartalome landed on Hispaniola (now Haiti and Dominican Republic) in 1502. He supervised the lands and native workers of his Father and was provisioner to the military for five years.

After return to Spain in 1506, he was ordained deacon in Seville. He continued studies and was ordained priest at Rome in 1507. That year he returned to Hispaniola with Columbus son Diego. He remained a holder of lands and natives.

The first Dominican priests arrived in 1510. After only one year witnessing the plight of the native peoples, they began a public mission to completely salvage the unjust situation.

The Dominicans laid down the gauntlet in 1511, by forcefully proclaiming the Church’s moral teaching. On December 21, 1511, the 4th Sunday of Advent, Fray Antonio de Mantesinas, O.P. delivered his famous sermon on behalf of the native people. He denounced their mistreatment and condemned the system of bondage.

The Hispanic scholar, Lewis Hanke calls it "one of the great events in the spiritual history of mankind."

These words of Fray Maniesians launched a great crusade: "This voice says that you are living in deadly sin for the atrocities you tyrannically impose on these innocent people. Tell me, what right have you to enslave them? What authority did you use to make war against them cruelly with methods never before heard of? How can you oppress them and not care to feed or cure them, and work them to death to satisfy your greed? And, why don’t you look after their spiritual health, so that they should come to know God, that they should be baptized, and that they should hear Mass and keep the holy days? Aren’t they human beings? Have they no rational soul? Aren’t you obliged to love them as you love yourselves? Don’t you understand? How can you live in such a lethargical dream? You must rest assured that you are in no better state of salvation than the Moors or Turks who reject the Christian faith."

By 1514, Father Las Casas renounced ownership of natives and his business. He later wrote that this was when the blinders fell from his eyes.

to be continued...