Catholic defender of American Indians

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dpengel3

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I once came across a treatise, written by a Catholic who may have also been a bishop and who may be a saint, about the treatment of natives of the American continent. I think this treatise was written rather early–the 16th century–but it could have been a little later.

This person wrote a full, thoroughly-reasoned defense of the American Indians’ (or American natives’) rights to retain their ownership and use of the lands, against European exploiters, even when the natives’ understanding of their use of the lands wasn’t the same concept of “ownership” that was common in Europe. He went on to justify the rights of the “princes” (a word I remember he used) of the native peoples to retain their control over their lands and their peoples, according to their culture, even if they don’t accept the Christian faith. (Of course, understanding that missionaries should not cease their zeal for their conversion.)

I can’t remember the name of the Catholic writer, but my memory has the impression that the name was either Italian or Spanish, and I really think he was a saint.

Does anybody out there think they might know what I’m talking about? Could you give me the name of the person who wrote this treatise? (This was not Paul III’s bull “Sublimus Deus”, but could have served as a supporting line of reasoning for that pope’s strictures against depriving the American natives of their lands and possessions.)
 
I’d like to see that, actually. Given my own heritage, I kind of get tired about how the Church allegedly encouraged “genocide” of the Indians. Spanish or Italian does sound about right for what you describe, though. You got my curiosity up.
 
I found it. The writer is Francisco de Vitoria. The treatise is “On the American Indians” and you can find it here: https_colon__slash_slash_warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/history/students/modules/hi3f9/timetable/spanishinventionofrightsandinternationallaw/on-the-american-indians.pdf
 
You found the author you were looking for, but there were many other priests who were active at the time in protecting the indigenous tribes from exploitation and enslavement by the European settlers. Antonio Vieira (alternative spelling Vieyra, as here) was one of them. He died at the age of eighty, still traveling by canoe in the jungles of Brazil in search of indigenous tribes who needed his protection. He had earlier spent a large part of his life in Europe, where among other things he was for a time the confessor of Queen Christina of Sweden after she had abdicated and settled in Rome.

en.wikipedia.org

António Vieira - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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