Assignment:

Basedonthereadingsbelow,writea5paragraphessay(inEnglish)describinghowBartolomdelasCasas
displayedtheCatholicvirtuesofJustice,Courage(Fortitude),andLove(Charity).
FromtheCatechismoftheCatholicChurch:
Justice
isthemoralvirtuethatconsistsintheconstantandfirmwilltogivetheirduetoGodand
neighbor.JusticetowardGodiscalledthe"virtueofreligion."Justicetowardmendisposesoneto
respecttherightsofeachandtoestablishinhumanrelationshipstheharmonythatpromotesequitywith
regardtopersonsandtothecommongood.Thejustman,oftenmentionedintheSacredScriptures,is
distinguishedbyhabitualrightthinkingandtheuprightnessofhisconducttowardhisneighbor."You
shallnotbepartialtothepoorordefertothegreat,butinrighteousnessshallyoujudgeyour
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neighbor."
"Masters,treatyourslavesjustlyandfairly,knowingthatyoualsohaveaMasterin
heaven."
Fortitude
isthemoralvirtuethatensuresfirmnessindifficultiesandconstancyinthepursuitofthe
good.Itstrengthenstheresolvetoresisttemptationsandtoovercomeobstaclesinthemorallife.The
virtueoffortitudeenablesonetoconquerfear,evenfearofdeath,andtofacetrialsandpersecutions.It
disposesoneeventorenounceandsacrificehislifeindefenseofajustcause."TheLordismystrength
70
andmysong."
"Intheworldyouhavetribulationbutbeofgoodcheer,Ihaveovercometheworld."
Charity
isthetheologicalvirtuebywhichweloveGodaboveallthingsforhisownsake,andour
neighborasourselvesfortheloveofGod.

FrayBartolomdelasCasas
Bartolom
delasCasaswasaSpanishhistorian,missionary,Dominicantheologian,andtheBishopof
Chiapas.HewasborninSevilla,Spain,in1484toafamilyofFrenchdescent.Hisfamilywasverywealthy
andhewaseducatedatthebestschools,includingtheUniversityofSalamanca,theoldestuniversityinSpain.
HestudiedtheologyandCanonLaw(ChurchLaw).In1493,afterdiscoveringtheAmericas,Christopher
ColumbusvisitedSevillaonhiswaytoMadrid.DuringthisvisithemetthedelasCasasfamily,andthey
becamefriends.Infact,Bartolomsfather,Pedro,becamesuchgoodfriendswithColumbusthatheandhis
brotherswereinvitedtojoinColumbusonhissecondvoyagetotheNewWorld.Bartolomsfamilywas
awardedlandontheislandofHispaniola,orwhatisnowdividedintotheDominicanRepublicandHaiti.In
1502,BartolomdelasCasastraveledtoHispaniolatomanagehisfamilysland.Likemanyothercolonists,de
lasCasasoperatedhisland(usedasaplantation)underthe
encomienda
system.The
encomienda
systemcame
aboutthroughaseriesofgrantsfromtheKingandQueenofSpain,andallowedlandownerstoenslavethe
nativepopulationaslongastheyalsoconvertedthenativestochristianity.Asa
hacendado,
orslaveowner,de
lasCasasownedmanyTainonativesandusedthemtoworkhisfieldswhilemakingsurethattheywere
convertedtoCatholicism.Hesawnothingwrongwithowningslaves,sincealloftheotherlandownersalsohad
slaves.
In1507,delasCasasreturnedtoEurope.HewenttoRome,andwasordainedasaCatholicpriest.
Afterhisordination,hereturnedtoHispaniola.DelasCasasservedaschaplaintoSpanishsoldiersfrom
15131514whenSpainconqueredCuba.AroundthistimemanyDominicanfriarscametotheNewWorldto
convertnativestoCatholicism.WhentheDominicanssawhowthenativepeopleweretreated,theywere
horrified.Afterhearingonefriarspeakagainsttheevilsofslavery,delasCasashadachangeofheart.He

decidedhecouldnolongerownslaves,andgaveuphisland.Then,hereturnedtoSpaintopleadwithKing
Ferdinandonbehalfofthenativepeoples.
In1516,delasCasaswasnamedpriestprocuratoroftheIndies,ontherecommendationofKing
FerdinandandtheBishopofToledo.ThismeantthathewasinchargeofactingontheChurchsbehalfinthe
NewWorld.HereturnedtoSouthAmericawithacommitteetoinvestigatethetreatmentoftheNative
Americans,andtoseeiftherewasabetteralternativeforthetwogroups,Europeanandindigenous,tolive
togetherpeacefully.DelasCasasexperimentedwithmanydifferentideas,includingworkingwiththeIndians
inVenezuela.InVenezuela,hetriedtocreateasettlementwhereNativeAmericansandSpanishsettlerslived
together.However,thenativeswereusedtobeingtreatedpoorlybytheSpaniards,andviolentlyrejectedall
interaction.In1522,whendelasCasasrealizedhisexperimentswerentworking,hegaveupandjoinedthe
DominicanOrderinSantoDomingo(DominicanRepublic).
AsaDominican,delasCasaswrotehundredsofletterstoasmanypowerfulpeopleashecould.His
mainideawasthattheIndianswerepeople,justlikeEuropeans.AshumanbeingscreatedbyGod,theyshould
havebeentreatedwithdignity,notenslaved.Hewrotethatthenativeshadarighttoownthelandtheyhad
alwaysinhabited,andthattheSpaniardsdidnot.HealsosaidthatPapalgrants(writtenpermissionfromthe
Pope)hadonlybeengiventoconverttheIndians,nottotaketheirlandsandresources.
DelasCasashadsomesuccessthroughhisletterwritingcampaign.Hewasabletopeacefullyintroduce
DominicanstotheIndiansinGuatemala,sothattheycouldbringChristianitytotheregion.Hewasnamedthe
BishopofChiapasandenforcedtheNewLawsofCharlesV,thenewHolyRomanEmperor.Theselaws
madeslaveryillegalbystatingthatanychildrenbornfromslaveswerefreepeople,andcouldnotbeenslaved
byanyone.However,mostofthecolonistsandmanyofthepriestsinSouthAmericanobjectedtotheselaws
andrefusedtofollowthem.In1547,whendelasCasassawthatthelawsweregoingunfollowed,heresigned
hispositionandreturnedtoSpain.WhileinSpain,hecontinuedtoworkonbehalfoftheIndians.Heonce
debatedforfivestraightdaysagainstSepulveda,anauthorwhosupportedawarwiththeIndians,winningthe
debateandconvincingtheCouncilofValladolidnottoapprovehisbookforpublication.
NicknamedtheDefenderoftheIndians,delasCasascrossedtheAtlanticOceantentimes.He
publishedmanybooksandwrotehundredsoflettersonthepropertreatmentofthenatives,causinghimtolose
titles,lands,andfriends.Inhis
HistoryoftheIndies
,delasCasaswroteabouthisexperiencesintheNew
WorldandhispredictionthatinjusticescommittedagainstthenativeswouldresultinpunishmentfromGod.
HisworkinfluencedfreedomfighterssuchasSimonBolivar,wholedVenezuela,Ecuador,Bolivia,Peru,and
ColumbiatoindependencefromSpain.

Source:http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Bartolome_de_Las_Casas.aspx