Revoking the Papal Bull of 1493

by Percy ffrenche Mon Dec 10, 2007 15:28

I'm sorry to have to add that the bull was revoked in 1537 (see link below), but the new bull wasn't observed to the letter by the colonists.

by John Arden Tue Dec 11, 2007 12:25

As one of the knot of citizens that witnessed, and participated in, the burning of the 1493 Bull in Galway yesterday, I'm most grateful for Percy ffrenche for adding extra information and an apparent correction -- however, having checked the wikipedia reference, I can't find that a correction is quite what is called for. It says that Pope Paul III issued a Bull forbidding the enslavement of native Americans, but he didn't actually revoke the earlier Bull that gave the king of Spain undisputed rights to the new world across the Atlantic. It is the gift of those rights that still troubles the indigenous inhabitants, with its implication that they are unable and should not be allowed to control their own country. Anyway, in response to the call by the Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, our little ceremony went off very happily. The Bull was posted up on a board for passers-by to read in-toto (it's a very garrulous document, which incidentally does NOT condone slavery) and then the crucial bits of it were read out and each page successively burned by each of six readers. The ashes were then swept into the river, where Columbus is said to have landed in 1477, and we all walked three times round the sculpture that commemorates his visit.

The Indigenous Grandmothers may be found on supplied link.
Also posting some stills of the event taken by TD.

by Sceptic Tue Dec 11, 2007 20:39

This ceremony amounts to a lot of smug halo polishing –“aren’t we so much more humane and enlightened than those nasty 16th century popes and colonialists”. As if they are in much position to judge or understand the motives and perspectives of people in a far away era with a necessarily totally different worldview and outlook.

Still it’s a good bargain - for a few timid steps around the statue one gets to express anti colonialism, nativisim and a bit of anti clericalism to boot.

However as I understand the situation the pope did not “award” America to Spain. The Spanish were already there and even if the Kingdom of Castile were to withdraw at that point the privateers and others would have filled the void.

The Bull was an antiwar measure that was designed to prevent hostilities on the high seas or in the new lands or even in Europe itself between the two largest maritime powers of the day. In most cases these papal measures were papal “blessings” as it were for treaties or understating that had already been reached between the protagonists, the papacy being the only acceptable arbiter between monarchs in those pre UN times.

Bear in mind that the catholic clergy came to stand for the protection of the natives. In fact they were the first and virtually only people who did so and whose moral entreaties did indeed defend multitudes of the weak against the worst excesses of slavery and exploitation.

by Movie buff Tue Dec 11, 2007 22:19

That reminds me of the film The Mission, about Jesuit missionaries who tried to protect the indigenous people in a Latin American country but ran foul of Spanish diplomatic and military machinations.

by hmmm Wed Dec 12, 2007 22:42

Or perhaps it was a nifty anti-static all-purpose brush with rainbow coloured exceedingly soft non-abrasive fibres. Very creative little detail which makes up for the Sean O Casey character not having an ethnic flag from South America. You could use that brush in a LGBT event too. Well done all of ye. The portuguese will be delighted.

by Sceptic Fri Dec 14, 2007 19:54

The movie is only loosely based on real events. But the theme of the clergy protecting the vulnerable is essentially historically correct.

by Movie buff Sat Dec 15, 2007 02:48

Yes, the Jesuit missionaries protected and educated the Guarani people - about 100,000 of them in settlements called reducciones - in an area of Paraguay for many years until Spanish colonialists connived with scheming local bishops and cardinals in Europe and had the people killed. For brief details see:

http://countrystudies.us/paraguay/5.htm

An Irish Jesuit was involved.