Bartolome de Las Casas, Apostle to the Indies.
Bartolome’ was born in 1474 in Spain, perhaps Seville. At the age of 24 he is reported to have sailed with Christopher Columbus on his third voyage, in 1498. In 1502 he was granted a large estate on which was worked by a number of native “Indians.” He became the first priest in the Americas in 1510. However, it wasn’t until 1514, at the age of forty, that he became an advocate against the mistreatment of the native born people. He freed his slaves and became a missionary in Central and South America.
Bartolome’ urged planters to work alongside their workers and gently bring them to Christ. He continued to protest, often in the face of great opposition, the mistreatment of Indians. His work took him to Guatemala, Peru, Cuba, Nicaragua and Mexico. He also wrote extensively regarding the treatment of the Native Americans and of their history. “The Indians are our brothers, and Christ has given his life for them. Why, then, do we persecute them with such inhuman savagery when they do not deserve such treatment?”
Bartolome’ died on July 17, 1566.
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