DOCSLIB.ORG

THE EQUAL DIGNITY of OTHERS Bartolomé De Las Casas And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
THE EQUAL DIGNITY of OTHERS Bartolomé De Las Casas And Th e Equal Dignity of Others 75 Chapter Th ree THE THIRD STAGE – THE EQUAL DIGNITY OF OTHERS Bartolomé de Las Casas and Francisco de Vitoria Th e third stage of our journey involves little movement geo- graphically, and a jump of a mere hundred years or so in time – to 16th century Spain. Our second and third stages have one sad connection: 1492 saw, not only the “discovery” of America, but also the expulsion of Jews, and the fi rst forced conversions or expulsions of Muslims from Spain. Th e “discovery” of America blew Europeans’ horizons wide open, and radically changed their world-view. Th is part of our journey will bring us face-to-face with the harsh realities of conquest, imperialism, colonialism, exploitation and intolerance. Th e “discovery”, not only of America, but also of those “others”, the “Indians”, raised fundamental and controver- sial questions concerning colonialism and the human nature of the colonized “others”. CONTEXT: THEORY AND PRACTICE OF CHRISTIAN IMPERIALISM One apparent deep connection between the crusades, the recon- quista and the conquista415 is the fact that the Christian religion served as justifi cation or pretext for all three. Th e offi cial doctrine behind the conquista was that the Pope, as Christ’s representative on earth, possessed plenitudo potestatis and a legitimate claim to world dominion, including the ownership of terrae incognitae. He could “delegate” his powers to Christian rulers (in this case, 415 Cf. Arkoun, loc. cit., at 124 s.; and Antonio Truyol y Serra, Th e Discovery of the New World and International Law, in: Th e University of Toledo Law Review, Vol. 1971, Numbers 1 & 2, at 305 ss. 76 Peter Leuprecht the “Catholic kings” of Spain and Portugal) – and this is precisely what successive popes did. In his Bull, Dum diversas of 18 June 1452, Pope Nicolas V authorized King Alfonso V of Portugal to subjugate “the Saracens and pagans and other unbelievers and enemies of Christ” and “reduce their persons into perpetual slav- ery”416. His later Bull, Romanus Pontifex of 25 March 1455, is a follow-up to Dum diversas. It refers to the “savage excesses of the Saracens” and to the “sect of the most impious Mahomet”, encour- ages seizure of the lands of “Saracens, pagans… and other ene- mies of Christ”, permits the enslavement of such peoples, and confi rms the Portuguese monarch’s dominion over all lands dis- covered or conquered417. In both documents, the obsession with Islam and the Arabs is conspicuous. At the same time, the Pope could not ignore the rival claims of the “Catholic Kings” of Castile – particularly since Columbus had been acting on their orders when he sailed to “the Indies”. Bowing to the necessities of “Realpolitik” Pope Alexander VI took account of this fact in the Bull Inter caetera of 4 May 1493, which he addressed to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Castile. Its basic philosophy – Christian imperialism – is the same as that of its predecessors. It hails overthrowing “barbarous nations” and bringing them to the faith as works pleasing to God, and refers in glowing terms to the “recovery of the kingdom of Granada from the yoke of the Saracens” by Ferdinand and Isabella. It expresses the conviction that people in the newly discovered territories “seem suffi ciently disposed to embrace the Catholic faith and be trained in good morals” – but does not overlook the fact that “gold, spices and very many other precious things of divers kinds and qualities” are found in these territories. Its essential point is this: We… out of the fullness of our apostolic power, by the authority of Almighty God… and of the vicarship of Jesus Christ, which we hold on earth, do by tenor of these presents, should any of said 416 Cf. Francis Gardiner Davenport, European Treaties Bearing on the History of the United States and its Dependencies to 1648, Carnegie Institution 1917, at. 17. 417 Accessed at www.papalencyclicals.net.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The “Doctrine of Discovery” and Terra Nullius: a Catholic Response
    1 The “Doctrine of Discovery” and Terra Nullius: A Catholic Response The following text considers and repudiates illegitimate concepts and principles used by Europeans to justify the seizure of land previously held by Indigenous Peoples and often identified by the terms Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius. An appendix provides an historical overview of the development of these concepts vis-a-vis Catholic teaching and of their repudiation. The presuppositions behind these concepts also undergirded the deeply regrettable policy of the removal of Indigenous children from their families and cultures in order to place them in residential schools. The text includes commitments which are recommended as a better way of walking together with Indigenous Peoples. Preamble The Truth and Reconciliation process of recent years has helped us to recognize anew the historical abuses perpetrated against Indigenous peoples in our land. We have also listened to and been humbled by courageous testimonies detailing abuse, inhuman treatment, and cultural denigration committed through the residential school system. In this brief note, which is an expression of our determination to collaborate with First Nations, Inuit and Métis in moving forward, and also in part a response to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, we would like to reflect in particular on how land was often seized from its Indigenous inhabitants without their consent or any legal justification. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the Canadian Catholic Aboriginal Council and other Catholic organizations have been reflecting on the concepts of the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius for some time (a more detailed historical analysis is included in the attached Appendix).
    [Show full text]
  • Doctrine of Discovery: Questions and Answers
    Doctrine of Discovery: Questions and Answers Q. What is the Doctrine of Discovery? The Doctrine of Discovery is a principle of international law dating from the late 15th century. It has its roots in a papal decree issued by Pope Nicholas V in 1452 that specifically sanctioned and promoted the conquest, colonization, and exploitation of non-Christian territories and peoples. Hundreds of years of decisions and laws continuing right up to our own time can ultimately be traced back to the Doctrine of Discovery—laws that invalidate or ignore the rights, sovereignty, and humanity of indigenous peoples in the United States and around the world. Q. Why does the Doctrine of Discovery still matter when it is over 500 years old? It is still in effect and is written into settled US law since 1823 about a land dispute between two individuals (Under Chief Justice John Marshall). It forms the basis for “Manifest Destiny,” the expansion into Indian lands. It is used to justify legal and forcible takeover of indigenous lands, without just compensation. The Discovery Doctrine is a concept of public international law expounded by the United States Supreme Court in a series of decisions, most notably Johnson v. McIntosh in 1823. In this Supreme Court case, Chief Justice John Marshall's opinion in the unanimous decision held "that the principle of discovery gave European nations an absolute right to New World lands." In essence, American Indians had only a right of occupancy, which could be abolished.” (Source: www.redlakenationnews.com/story/2017/06/15/news/doctrine- of-discovery-repudiated/61672.html) It is used to interpret Indian Treaties in a way that has undermined treaty rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Unsettling Truths: the Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of The
    ivpress.com Taken from Unsettling Truths by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com CHAPTER ONE The Doctrine of Discovery and Why It Matters “You cannot discover lands already inhabited.” I (Mark) said this almost under my breath, as I walked past a line of men dressed as Spanish sailors from the 1490s. I was in front of Union Station in Washington, DC, near the massive statue of Christopher Columbus overlooking the United States Capitol. Every Columbus Day, there is an official ceremony in this plaza hon- oring Columbus as the discoverer of America. I had stumbled upon this ceremony by accident the year prior. There were a few non- natives holding signs and protesting the ceremony but nothing very dis- ruptive. I came back the following year primarily out of curiosity. I was not intending to protest, nor did I want to make a scene. As I walked up behind the statue and approached the group of men dressed as Spanish sailors, the words just came out of my mouth: “You cannot discover lands already inhabited.” As I walked farther down the line, I said it again, this time a little louder. “You cannot discover lands already inhabited.” As I continued walking, I came to the front 326441SVP_UNSETTLING_CS6_PC.indd 13 10/08/2019 11:09:22 14 Unsettling Truths of the line, where a group of men dressed in suits were standing. I repeated myself, making sure they could hear me.
    [Show full text]
  • Papal Bulls, Political Bull, Legal Fictions & Other Con Games
    From Popes and Pirates to Politicians and Pioneers: Papal Bulls, Political Bull, Legal Fictions & other Con Games By Richard Sanders n 1496, John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) received a license from IHenry VII to “conquer, occupy and possess.” This piracy contract came with an important religious ca- veat. The king only gave Cabot “full and free authority, faculty and power to … find, discover and investigate whatsoever islands, countries, regions or provinces of heathens and infidels,…which before this time were unknown to all Christians.”1 (Emphasis added.) Three years earlier, Pope Al- exander VI issued a bull,* Inter Ca- etera, that gave Spanish and Portu- guese kings “full and free power, au- thority, and jurisdiction of every kind” over all lands “discovered” by their envoys, as long as no Christian collage: richard sanders king had claimed them before Christ- Papal Bull Inter Caetera mas of 1492.2 Floating on a sea of papal bull and blown by the winds of imperial hubris, Cloaking war and worldly Canada’s founding, corporate pirates were armed to the teeth with greed with a zeal for religious con- the vainglorious social narcissism of both church and state. version and the training of Indians in “good morals,” the pope’s 1493 edict de- ..., and the kingdoms, dukedoms, prin- of the Church and of their Highnesses; clared that God’s greatest pleasure was for cipalities, dominions, possessions, and we shall take you, and your wives, and Catholicism to be “increased and spread, all movable and immovable goods ... children, and shall make slaves of them, and to reduce their persons to perpetual … and we shall take away your goods, that the health of souls be cared for and slavery, and ..
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter Fourteen: an Evaluation of the Western Church's Teaching On
    Chapter Fourteen: An Evaluation of the Western Church’s Teaching on Social Stability and Financial Security We can now evaluate whether the church was faithful to the teaching of the apostles about wealth. The church rapidly became more lenient than Jesus regarding wealth, and unfortunately made three major accommodations to the human desire for economic security. Land The Western church made its first accommodation to material insecurity by endorsing land ownership in the agricultural economy . Although it is difficult to generalize about the Middle Ages and medieval European Christendom, I believe it is possible to say that they moved from ‘disinheritance’ and ‘universal giving’ to ‘property stabilization’ and ‘predictable giving’ for the sake of social stability. Every citizen had a role to play in the grand vision of social unity, so the use of wealth was subsumed into that concern. Political officials and nobles played an important role in maintaining social cohesion and peasants, too, were not insignificant. They economically supported the manor, which organized the resources for defense and warfare. William H. McNeill, in The Rise of the West relates the development of the European feudal system to nomadic incursions, mostly from Asia. McNeill believes the feudal manor system developed because it was the most effective way to organize agricultural and military resources to resist this threat. 1 Peasants were taught to submit to their landlords, and everyone in turn needed to submit to the priests. Significant economic inequalities could be tolerated because of this overriding emphasis on social unity. At its inception, Christianity made very minimal concessions to this desire for land.
    [Show full text]
  • The Iberian Roots of American Racist Thought Author(S): James H
    The Iberian Roots of American Racist Thought Author(s): James H. Sweet Source: The William and Mary Quarterly, Third Series, Vol. 54, No. 1 (Jan., 1997), pp. 143-166 Published by: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2953315 . Accessed: 05/09/2013 10:30 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The William and Mary Quarterly. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 128.151.4.69 on Thu, 5 Sep 2013 10:30:26 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions The Iberian Roots of American Racist Thought James H. Sweet T HE question why African slavery emerged as the primary form of exploited labor in the Americas during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has engaged the attention of scholars for years. Although a consensus seems to have emerged that the growth of capitalismplayed a major role in the establishment and survival of African slavery in the Americas, heated debate continues over the extent to which racism played a part in this development.
    [Show full text]
  • The Papal Bulls #11 2:30 P.M
    The Papal Bulls #11 2:30 p.m. (Information taken from www.doctrineofdiscovery.org ) Papal Bull Dum Diverersas - 18 June 1452 Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas on 18 June, 1452. It authorised Alfonso V of Portugal to reduce any “Saracens (Muslims) and pagans and any other unbelievers” to perpetual slavery. This facilitated the Portuguese slave trade from West Africa. The Bull Romanus Pontiflex (Nicholas V) - 8 January 1454 The same pope wrote the bull Romanus Pontifex on January 5, 1455 to the same Alfonso. As a follow-up to the Dum diversas, it extended to the Catholic nations of Europe dominion over discovered lands during the Age of Discovery. The Bull Inter Caetera (Alexander VI) - 4 May 1493 In 1493 Alexander VI issued the bull Inter Caetera stating one Christian nation did not have the right to establish dominion over lands previously dominated by another Christian nation, thus establishing the Law of Nations. Together, the Dum Diversas, the Romanus Pontifex and the Inter Caetera came to serve as the basis and justification for the Doctrine of Discovery, the global slave- trade of the 15th and 16th centuries, and the Age of Imperialism. Expansion of Papal Bulls Treaty of Tordesillas - 7 June 1494 The Treaty of Tordesillas was concluded on June 7 1494 to settle the contentious matter of the possession of the newly discovered lands of the non Christian world between Portugal and Spain. Patent Granted by King Henry VII to John Cabot and his sons - 5 March 1496 By this public document, Henry VII indicated his official, royal support for Cabot's enterprise.
    [Show full text]
  • Morocco in the Early Atlantic World, 1415-1603 A
    MOROCCO IN THE EARLY ATLANTIC WORLD, 1415-1603 A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History By Earnest W. Porta, Jr., J.D. Washington, DC June 20, 2018 Copyright 2018 by Earnest W. Porta, Jr. All Rights Reserved ii MOROCCO IN THE EARLY ATLANTIC WORLD, 1415-1603 Earnest W. Porta, Jr., J.D. Dissertation Advisor: Osama Abi-Mershed, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Over the last several decades, a growing number of historians have conceptualized the Atlantic world as an explanatory analytical framework, useful for studying processes of interaction and exchange. Stretching temporally from the 15th into the 19th century, the Atlantic world framework encompasses more than simply the history of four continents that happen to be geographically situated around what we now recognize as the Atlantic basin. It offers instead a means for examining and understanding the transformative impacts that arose from the interaction of European, African, and American cultures following the European transatlantic voyages of the 15th and 16th centuries. Though it has not been extensively studied from this perspective, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Morocco possessed geopolitical characteristics that uniquely situated it within not only the Islamic world, but the developing Atlantic world as well. This study considers Morocco’s involvement in the early Atlantic world by examining three specific phases of its involvement. The first phase lasts approximately one hundred years and begins with the Portuguese invasion of Ceuta in 1415, considered by some to mark the beginning of European overseas expansion.
    [Show full text]
  • Reviewing and Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery in 2017- a Personal Journey
    Reviewing and Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery in 2017- A personal Journey The Anglican Church of Canada has officially repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery. This doctrine led to a desire to eradicate all Aboriginal People, around the world, leaving Europeans as the dominant people. The doctrine became an instrument of genocide, pain, and a knife in the heart of Christianity. It is a wound that will not be healed until we look at it honestly and personally reflect upon it. It often establishes a framework for our attitudes toward minority people in our society today. Aboriginal Canadians, immigrants of non-European heritage and people who express their spirituality in Non-Christian ways are seen as outsiders. Some of this societal prejudice has its roots in this ancient and ignorant doctrine. I have reproduced the doctrine here. I invite you as part of your Lenten reflection to read it and internally challenge your response to it, asking yourself “Would Jesus support this doctrine?” Then in reflection, “Does this doctrine, in anyway, shape my attitude toward my neighbours, immigrants and others who worship God in a different pathway than myself?” “Do I accidentally through my attitudes keep this doctrine alive in my heart?” Papal Bull Dum Diversas, 18 June, 1452 (Doctrine of Discovery) Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas on 18 June, 1452. It authorised Alfonso V of Portugal to reduce any “Saracens (Muslims) and pagans and any other unbelievers” to perpetual slavery. This facilitated the Portuguese slave trade from West Africa. The same pope wrote the bull Romanus Pontifex on January 5, 1455 to the same Alfonso.
    [Show full text]
  • Toward a Paradigm Change for Mother Earth
    online at: https://ratical.org/co-globalize/ParadigmChg4MotherEarth.html Editor’s note: This annotated transcript combines elements of the film’s spoken word with the article published 5 Nov 2015 on The Shift Network Blog, and is presented here with permission of Steven Newcomb. The Notes section includes sources referenced during the Keynote. Toward a Paradigm Change for Mother Earth Understanding the Empire Domination Model of Christianity: A Way of Liberation Steven Newcomb Delivers Keynote on Original Free Nations and Peoples Spotlight of Indigenous Peoples Plenary, 8,000 People Attending 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions, 19 Oct 2015 MP3 Recording (08:43, 7.4 MB) The idea patterns of domination and so-called Christian Discovery have been incorporated into U.S. federal Indian law, where they remain to this day. Those ideas are traced to Vatican documents called papal bulls of the fifteenth century and to royal charters of England which declared the right of Christian people to discover the lands of heathens and infidels and to assume a right of domination or subjugation against the nations and peoples of those places, “which before this time have been unknown to all Christian people.” In 1823, Chief Justice John Marshall, on behalf of the United States Supreme Court, wrote that doctrine of Christian discovery and domination into U.S. case law, where it remains to this day. Kishelëmienk, Translation: mili onkùntëwakàn, Oh, the one who created us by your thoughts, milaok onkùntëwakàn, give me blessings, wëli nipali, give them blessings, wëli nipalaok. stand me up tall and true, Wanìshi, Kishelëmienk.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary of Major Papal Bull Decrees.Odt
    SUMMARY OF MAJOR FRAUDULENT PAPAL BULLS STILL ACTIVE TODAY Constantine Council of Nicaea of Roman Christian Bishops Inventing Jesus Fraudulently Condemning ALL non-christian dogma believers to servitude. June 18, 1452 Papal Bull Dum Diversas was issued by Pope Nicholas V that commanded Portuguese Alfonso V of Portugal to reduce any Saracens Muslims / Moslems/Muhammadans, Mahommedans, Mahomedans, Mahometans etc., of Islamic faith] and pagans and any other unbelievers [Aboriginal People] to “perpetual servitude/slavery” to the Roman Pontiff and his church. This facilitated human trafficking worldwide, but started in the nearest locations of military conquests in Northern Africa claiming dominion over kingdoms. January 8, 1454, the Romanus Pontifex; Latin for "The Roman Pontiff" (Nicholas V) was issued; the same pope wrote this bull on January 5, 1455 to the same Portuguese minion king Alfonso as a follow-up to the Dum Diversas. It commanded the takeover of all other nations of people – by force of arms, torture, and murder to be committed by any and all Catholic nations of Europe to invade and dominate all lands of the Natural Aboriginal Indigenous and Native Peoples under the guise of discovering lands even though major populations of people inhabited the lands, and then falsely called the time they pillaged and massacred the Natural People; “The Age of Discovery”. May 4, 1493 the Inter Caetera papal bull was issued by Pope Alexander VI asserting that Christian nations did not have the right to establish dominion over lands previously dominated by another Christian nation; that basically states that land already stolen from the Aborigine Nations by a christian nation; another christian nation can not come along and steal it again from the Page 1 of 2 SUMMARY OF MAJOR FRAUDULENT PAPAL BULLS STILL ACTIVE TODAY first christian nation that stole it; thus establishing their fraudulent Roman law of nations.
    [Show full text]
  • “Unspoken Conspiracy”
    “Unspoken Conspiracy” Living within the Resonance of the Doctrine of Discovery May-Lisbeth Brew M.A. Thesis (60 Credits), History of Religions REL 4990 Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Fall 2014 “Unspoken Conspiracy” Living within the Resonance of the Doctrine of Discovery May-Lisbeth Brew M.A Thesis (60 Credit), History of Religions REL 4990 Department of Culture Studies and Oriental Languages UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Fall 2014 © May-Lisbeth Brew 2014 “Unspoken Conspiracy”: Living within the Resonance of the Doctrine of Discovery May-Lisbeth Brew http://www.duo.uio.no Trykk: Reprosentralen, Universitetet i Oslo # # Abstract This thesis analyze the perceptions of the Doctrine of Discovery, a religious principle incorporated into law during the “Age of Discovery” among people within religious organizations and traditional indigenous peoples in, what is today known, as the United States of America. The Doctrine of Discovery originated from 15th century papal bulls, and the directive from the Vatican in the papal bull Dum Diversas was that the Christian duty of explorers (sent out by their Christian Monarchs) was to “invade, search out, capture, vanquish and subdue” all non-Christians wherever placed. While the Doctrine of Discovery´s presence in courts has been documented by research there has not been much investigation on what the perceptions of the effects of this doctrine is in todays world. The thesis begins with a summary of the worldview behind and the principles set forth in the papal bulls known as Dum Diversas (18 June, 1452), Romanus Pontifex (January 8, 1454) and Inter Caetera (May 4, 1493) as well as the historic background for these papal bulls.
    [Show full text]