#inter caetera

[purplelinks]

5/4/2025: 3

[useleshistory]

Useless Fact #188

The Inter Cætera, the papal bull issued by Pope Alexander VI in 1493 that divided the world between Portugal and Spain is part of the Vatican Secret Archives.

[julietwhaley]

The Doctrine of Discovery

The “doctrine of discovery”, or the Romanus Pontifex, stated that Portugal would be given the right to claim lands in the New World provided that a chief aim of colonization would be the conversion of the indigenous to Christianity. In 1493, the year of Christopher Columbus’ return to Spain, the Pope Alexander VI produced the bull Inter Caetera which granted Castile the right to approach, acquire, and trade in lands west of the Azores. The bull stated that it was the duty of Spanish endorsed discoverers to “lead the peoples dwelling in [the New World’s] islands and countries to embrace the Christian religion”. Both papal bulls promoted and justified actions such as conquest and trade during and after the era of discovery. But in a religion where Jesus emphasizes the law “love your neighbor as yourself” how is a papal bull righteous in its destruction of indigenous culture, regardless if “pagan” or not? How is the taking of human life justified in a religion which believes that all “are one in Jesus Christ”?

Papal documents, such as the Romanus Pontifex and the Inter Caetera, paved the way for an era of discovery and conquest throughout the Americas and Africa. These documents, claiming the political right of countries to discover, conquer, and convert in the name of God, are a primary example of how human error in the interpretation of God’s word leads to the destruction of society and culture for those deemed to be “pagan.” The mission to spread knowledge of the “right” or “true” way was a prevalent human desire in during this time.

An example of the effects of the Romanus Pontifex and Intera Caetera can be seen primarily in the conquest of Mexico. The conquest began in 1519 during a time when the Church was very much a part of politics. Spanish Christians perceived the world through a fixed lens of religion and resources. The destruction of great cities such as Tenochtitlan were justified in religious terms. It was believed that the word of God must be spread to the “barbaric nations” and the indigenous must be baptized for the “health of [their] souls”. Spanish conquistadors were convinced that human sacrifices to the gods and the idols in the temples were signs of the devil’s work in Mexico. They attempted to convince the leader of Tenochtitlan to convert his people. The conquistadors installed Catholic images in the native temples and prohibited human sacrifice in a land that was not theirs to rule over. The Spanish were fixated on the righteousness of their own beliefs and were blind to the centuries of tradition which created the vibrant culture of the Mexica. The conquistadors failed to recognize what the indigenous believed to be righteous about Mexica religion. Human life, it has been argued, was the most precious thing that could be offered to their gods because it was the sacrifice of self in a show of religious devotion. Christians have been known to die for God, too. However, this form of non-Christian worship was considered to be the work of the devil leading the natives in a mockery of the Christian faith.

After the conquest of Mexico, efforts were made to appease the native populations. The problem with using indigenous peoples as slaves was that they were used to the land and could easily flee. They all spoke similar languages which increased the risk for large slave rebellions. European traders created a market which expanded the slave trade throughout the Atlantic and allowed Africans to replace the Mexica as slaves. The Africans did not speak the native language, and did not know the new land and. If they escaped or rebelled, they would be unable to return to Africa. The separation of the Africans from their homeland, and from each other, led to less of an emphasis on kinship and culture. Traditions were lost, such as the art of African pottery, because young Africans were not taught nor given the opportunity to carry on these traditions. This separation also promoted the role of Christianity in forming a new Afro-Atlantic culture. New World Africans were likely to lose their traditional religious beliefs and convert to the Christian faith, therefore fulfilling the Pope’s expectation that Europeans “may acquire for them the reward of eternal felicity, and obtain pardon for their souls.” This justified the slave trade because it ultimately fulfilled the goal of the conversion of pagans.

References:

Burkhart, Louise M. “Spain and Mexico.” In The Cambridge History of Magic and Witchcraft in the West: From Antiquity to the Present, edited by David J. Collings, S. J., 429-460. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Pope Alexander VI. Inter Caetera. 4 May 1493.

Pope Nicholas V. Romanus Pontifex. 8 Jan 1455.

Schwartz, Stuart B., ed. Victors and Vanquished: Spanish and Nahua Views of the Conquest of Mexico. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000.

Thornton, John. Africa and Africans in the Making of the New World, 1400-1800. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

[nunccognosco]

Each tucked string tells

It has been some time since I have written a text post containing the usual reflections, whines, interludes, musings, rambles, incertitudes, and collations which occasionally appear amid my other posts (warning: mostly quotes and Ben Whishaw).   

I was going to make a small sound clip relating to the questions I reblogged (and then deleted) and to which two people responded (the guilty parties are aware); however, after a few attempts at recording samples, I grew maudlin at the sound of my own voice and the poor recording quality. 

I have unfortunately had to give up my Mondays at the bookshop, pressure from the office demanded a release by means of my presence in the cubicles; although I have hope (what a dim light in the distance) that I will be able to sit and read and sometimes sell books on certain Sundays and Wednesdays. 

This has, along with my imminent move back to the family home (to save money for less imminent travels) caused ripples in the pond of my everyday existence (at least an illusion of calm); I am worried these will swell to waves and I will be unable to maintain myself (let alone the surface) in the middle of the heave and swell.  

I have at times resented a past me for deciding that alcohol was the right thing to give up for a Lenten discipline (which probably means that it was exactly the right one); although I am not trying to disfigure my face, there have been a few times in the last week where I have needed a drink to be on hand.  The troubles of today are quite enough for today.

You have the inclination to be alone and to dream and you are afraid of dreams. 

tl;dr: Life is uncertain, Lent is long: I need a drink. 

[cellule44]

Génocide des nations autochtones au Canada: Le cas sanglant des écoles résidentielles pour Indiens de 1850 à 1996 mis au grand jour ~ 1ère partie ~

 par Résistance 71

  Nous avons ici traduit la chronologie des évènements génocidaires ainsi que des actions mises en œuvre pour les mettre au grand jour afin que les coupables de ce génocide: l’État canadien et les églises catholique, méthodiste,…

Afficher l’article