MEXICAN SYNOD
At dawn Las Casas entered the city unnoticed and reached his cathedral,
from whence he sent Father Nicola Galiano, one of the clergy, to notify
the Council of his arrival and that he was awaiting them. The Bishop’s
arrival, did in reality, cause a greater disturbance than the earthquake.
The members of the Council debated as to what was now to be done; the
Bishop was in the city and in his cathedral, despite their efforts to
exclude him. Finally it was decided to go in a body to the church, where
they seated themselves as though for a sermon. When the Bishop entered
from the sacristy to speak to them, no one rose or showed any of the
customary marks of respect. The notary immediately read the
“requirement” it had been their intention to present before Las Casas was
admitted to the city, omitting however the passages which denied his
authority.
Las Casas replied to this with great benevolence, saying that as he was
ready even to shed his blood for them, he had no intention of interfering
with their properties except in so far as was necessary to prevent sin
against God and their neighbour: he exhorted them to consider matters
calmly and not to allow themselves to be carried away by irreflection.
His manner, as well as the sense of this speech, were surprisingly
conciliatory, but one of the council, less impressed by the persuasive
eloquence of the Bishop, observed from his place that as Las Casas was but
a private individual, he had presumed too far in summoning such an
important body as the council, composed of the most illustrious gentlemen
of the colony, to come to meet him, instead of going himself to them. The
Bishop, with much dignity, answered; “Look you, sir,—and all of you in
whose name he has spoken,—when I wish to ask anything from your estates, I
will go to your houses to speak with you; but when I have to speak with
you concerning God’s service and what touches your souls and consciences,
it is for me to send and call you to come to wherever I may be, and it is
for you to come trooping to me, if you are Christians.” Nobody ventured
to reply to this rebuke and the Bishop, rising immediately withdrew,
towards the sacristy. Then the notary of the council approached him
respectfully, saying that he had a petition to present on behalf of the
townspeople, which there was no need to read as it merely asked that they
should be treated as a Christian people and have confessors appointed to
grant them absolution. The Bishop assented, but as he named the Canon
Juan Perera and the Dominicans, who all notoriously shared his views on
the question in dispute, the council demurred, saying that they were
unacceptable. The Bishop therefore named a priest from Guatemala and a
Mercedarian friar, whose sentiments he knew to be in harmony with his own,
though they had taken no part in the controversies and hence their opinion
had never been publicly manifested. Both were men of exemplary piety and
zeal in their ministry. Even Fray Vicente Ferrer, who accompanied the
Bishop, was unaware of the real sympathies of the two confessors, and
fearing his superior was unwittingly making a blunder, he tugged at his
vestments saying: “Let your lordship rather die than do this.”
Immediately those present broke forth into imprecations on Fray Vicente
and all but maltreated him, in the midst of which uproar, the Mercedarian
friars, who had heard of the Bishop’s return, appeared in the church to
welcome him. The disturbance was somewhat quelled by their arrival, and
they managed to conduct the Bishop and the offending Fray Vicente in
safety to their own convent.
The fatigue of the journey and the excitement of these disturbing scenes
through which he had passed left the aged Bishop exhausted, but his trials
had in reality only just begun, and hardly had he seated himself in the
cell the friars provided for him, to take a little bread and wine, when a
fearful uproar was heard outside, which proved to be caused by an immense
crowd of armed people who had surrounded the convent. Some of these men
forced their way into his presence, but so great was the noise and clamour
that the friars, who sought to learn the cause of this hostile
demonstration, could neither hear nor make themselves heard. Finally it
appeared that this fresh outburst was occasioned by the discovery that the
Bishop had captured and bound their Indian sentinels as prisoners. Las
Casas at once assumed the entire blame, explaining exactly how he had
surprised them and why he had bound them. A storm of vituperation greeted
his explanation—all semblance of respect, either for his age or office,
was abandoned—and one taunted the protector of the Indians with himself
tying them up and draging them three leagues.(64) Amidst all these
reproaches and insults Las Casas replied to one of his tormentors saying:
“I do not wish, sir, to answer you, so as not to take from God the task of
punishing you, for the insult you offer is not to me but to God.”
While this scene of violence was proceeding inside the Bishop’s cell, his
negro servant Juanillo was being baited in the courtyard where some one
who accused him of tying the Indians, gave him a thrust with his pike,
which laid him, wounded, on the ground. The friars rushed to the rescue
of the unfortunate negro and two of the younger monks finally succeeded in
getting all the armed men out of their convent.
All these riotous happenings had taken place between dawn and nine
o’clock, and so true was the Bishop’s saying that in each hour of the
twelve, men changed their minds, that before noon order was not only
entirely established, but the extraordinary spectacle was offered of the
members of the same council who had insulted and outraged the Bishop,
coming in great humility to the convent, accompanied by the alcaldes,
without their wands of office or their swords, to beg his forgiveness and
to acknowledge him as their rightful Bishop. Not content with this act of
reparation, they carried him in procession from the convent to the house
of Pedro Orozco de Acevedo, one of the principal citizens, where an
apartment was prepared for his habitation. To complete this
transformation and illustrate even more fully the vagaries of the human
temper, they determined to celebrate his arrival by holding a grand
tournament in his honour, the day after Christmas. Remesal does not say
whether this form of festivity met with the Bishop’s approval, but it may
be permitted to imagine that had he been consulted, he would have found
some more fit means for celebrating the reconciliation.
Las Casas was probably not at all duped by the sudden conversion of his
enemies, which was indeed more indicative of a mercurial and capricious
temperament than of a sincere desire to make amends for their conduct: the
real reason of these sudden demonstrations must be sought in the fears
that were aroused in the minds of the better citizens, of the punishment
sure to fall upon them, when the news of their actions should reach Spain.
Proofs of their bad faith are not far to seek. Even while the festivities
were preparing, a body of men rode off to Cinacatlan where they robbed and
terrorised the Indians, bullied and threatened the frairs, and finally
returned with great rejoicings to Ciudad Real. The friars being in no way
deceived, for they also understood but too well the volatile character of
the Spaniards, took the precaution of provisioning the Bishop, so that he
might not be starved out when popular resentment should again nullify the
present reconciliation.
The Indian porters who were to carry these provisions, were so fearful of
being set upon and beaten or even killed by the Spaniards, that it was
only after much persuasion that they consented to deliver them:
fortunately they were not molested and the supplies reached their
destination intact.
A short time after these events, the Auditor, Juan Rogel, sent by the
Audiencia of the Confines, arrived at Ciudad Real just as the Bishop was
preparing for his journey to Mexico where one Francisco Tello de Sandoval,
whom the Emperor had sent as Visitor-General of New Spain, had convoked a
meeting of all the bishops and prelates in America to confer upon the
vexed questions concerning the Indians, about which opinion was so divided
as to render hopeless any acceptable legislation from Madrid. The
celebrated Sepulveda, one of the most learned scholars and ablest men of
his times, led the opposition to the doctrines of Las Casas and sustained
the theory that servitude was the rightful and natural state of the
Indians and that it was justifiable to subdue them by force to Spanish
rule.
On the 20th of November, 1545, the Emperor, in response to the arguments
and petitions of the representatives of the colonists, had abrogated the
most important articles of the New Laws—in fact had substantially revoked
them, though this action was not yet known in Chiapa, where the Bishop
received the Auditor Rogel, to whom he highly praised the New Laws, whose
application was the object of Rogel’s visit. The Auditor, after hearing
him out, said: “Your lordship well knows that though these New Laws and
Ordinances were framed in Valladolid by the agreement of such grave
personages,—as your lordship and I witnessed—one of the reasons which has
rendered them so hateful in the Indies has been the fact that your
lordship had a hand in proposing and framing them: for the conquerors
consider your lordship so prejudiced against them, that they believe that
what you obtain for the natives is not so much for love of the Indians as
for hatred of them. Entertaining such a suspicion, they would feel it
more, were I to deprive them while your lordship is present, than the loss
itself of their slaves and estates; Señor Don Francisco Tello de Sandoval
has summoned your lordship to this meeting of prelates which takes place
in Mexico and I would be glad if you would prepare for your journey and
hasten your departure, for until your lordship is gone I can do nothing.
I do not want it said that I am doing what is necessary out of respect, as
everything would thereby be lost.”
This plain speaking, in which Las Casas recognised much truth, convinced
him that by remaining, he would only retard the cause he desired to help,
so he quickly completed his preparations and left Ciudad Real in the first
week of Lent in 1546, hardly a year after his first entrance into it. His
departure was signalised by some demonstrations of sympathy, and a few
people accompanied him as far as Cinacatlan, where he remained for several
days counselling with the friars concerning the stand to be taken on
Indian matters in the council or synod he was going to attend in Mexico.
As the other American bishops disapproved of his action in refusing the
sacraments to slave-holders and the Visitor General, Tello de Sandoval,
had already written him a sharp letter of reproof for his imprudence in
obstinately persisting in his views despite the fact that he was alone in
holding them, formidable opposition would have to be encountered in the
synod. Neither Las Casas nor his Dominican brethren were at all dismayed
by their isolation, nor did they for a moment consider the possibility of
abandoning or even relaxing their convictions. The Canon, Juan Perera,
who had stood loyally by his Bishop, assisted at these conferences, but as
he had previously expressed contrary opinions, he desired to make an act
of public reparation for his past errors. He returned to Ciudad Real
especially to preach a sermon of retraction and to read a paper prepared
for him by Fray Tomas de la Torre, containing a full vindication of his
Bishop’s opinions. This recantation produced no small effect upon the
colonists, some of whom were moved to express regret for their part in the
maltreatment of Las Casas and the friars. This business terminated, the
Canon rejoined Las Casas at Cinacatlan and accompanied him to Mexico.
Before setting forth on his last journey, the Bishop transferred his
property to the Dominicans and, though there was a conditional clause in
the deed of gift, there was no reservation in the donor’s mind, for he
knew that he was leaving Chiapa for ever and would never again govern a
diocese. Accompanied by the friars Rodrigo Ladrada, Vicente Ferrer, and
Luis Cancer and by the Canon Perera he journeyed to Antequera in the
province of Oaxaca—the marquisate of Cortes—where he was received in the
Dominican convent. But so intense and wide-spread was the feeling against
him that both the Viceroy and the Visitor-General wrote to him that he
should not advance farther towards Mexico, until they summoned him, lest
his appearance might provoke a disturbance. The march of a hostile army
upon a defenceless city could hardly have stirred up greater excitement
than the arrival of this aged Bishop with his four humble companions. He
finally entered the city of Mexico at ten o’clock one morning, and not
only was there no disturbance of the peace when he was recognised, but his
followers even heard some comments of admiration for him as he passed
through the streets to the Dominican monastery where he was to lodge.
The very day of his arrival, Las Casas betrayed his lack of those
conciliatory qualities, without which no man can negotiate debatable
questions with any hope of success. During his several visits to Spain,
where he handled delicate questions with consummate skill, he had shown
tact in seeking to disarm opposition and conciliate opponents, but in
Mexico he displayed no wordly wisdom whatsoever. He replied to the
message of the Viceroy and the auditors who sent to welcome him, that he
would not visit them as they were excommunicated because they had cut off
the hand of a priest in Antequera.
The news of this message was spread throughout the city and still further
inflamed the popular ire against him. Just at a time when so much
depended upon winning supporters to his side and conciliating, as far as
possible, the conflicting principles of the contending parties, Las Casas
alienated the powerful Viceroy and the auditors, and rendered himself
inaccessible to any possible overtures from the more reasonable and
moderate men of the opposition, whom it should have been his first duty to
placate by every possible concession.
The synod or council was composed of the five bishops of Mexico, Chiapa,
Guatemala, Oaxaca, and Mechoacan, with possibly a sixth from Tiazcala;
besides these, there were the prelates and chief theologians of the
religious orders, and finally, all the learned men of the colony. The
outcome of their deliberations was contained in eight propositions, of
which the five principal ones were as follows:
1.1. All infidels, of whatsoever sect or religion they may be or whatever
may be their sins, hold and possess in conformity with the natural
and divine law and the law of nations, the property they acquire
without prejudice to others; and likewise their principalities,
kingdoms, estates, lordships, dignities, and jurisdictions.
2.2. Although four different classes of infidels exist, there is but one
method instituted by divine providence for teaching the true
religion, namely, persuading the understanding by reasoning and
attracting the will by gentleness. This is common to all men in the
world, without regard to difference of errors or sects, or
corruption of morals.
3.3. The sole and final cause why the Apostolic See granted supreme
sovereignty and imperial jurisdiction over the Indies to the Kings
of Castile and Leon was the preaching of the Gospel, the spread of
the Christian religion, and the conversion of the nations of those
regions, and not to increase their dignity or to make them richer
princes than they were.
4.4. The Holy See, in granting the said supreme sovereignty, did not
intend to deprive the native sovereigns and rulers of their estates,
lordships, jurisdiction, honours, and dignities, nor did it intend
to give the Kings of Castile and Leon any license by which the
spread of the Gospel should be impeded and the conversion of the
people of those regions be retarded.
5.5. The said sovereigns of Castile, who offered and bound themselves of
their own choice to see that the faith was preached and the Indians
converted, are obliged by divine precept to bear the necessary
expenses for accomplishing these ends.
These were the most important of the eight articles approved by the synod,
and they were grounded upon and defended by a multitude of arguments drawn
from the Fathers and General Councils: they were not adopted without
opposition, and every point was fought over in endless debates, for the
conquerors and all holders of encomiendas contested stoutly for what they
held to be their rights. The synod also established the conditions on
which sacraments should be administered to the colonists, and addressed a
full report of the proceedings to the Emperor, soliciting his confirmation
and the royal authority for executing all that had been enacted.
Although Las Casas had several times essayed to bring the question of
slavery before the council, no direct or explicit decision was given on
that important point, and as his efforts were embarrassing, the Viceroy
quickly told him that reasons of State had compelled him to defer a
definite solution of that question. Far from quieting Las Casas, this
information aroused his zeal all the more, and as a hearing in the council
was denied him, he preached a few days later when the Viceroy was present,
taking for his text this significant passage from the thirtieth chapter of
the prophet Isaias: “For this is a rebellious people; lying children,
children that will not hear the law of God. Who say to the seers, see
not; and to the prophets, prophesy not right things unto us; speak unto us
smooth things, prophesy deceits.”
The sermon was not without the intended effect, and the Viceroy began to
regret the exclusion of the subject of slavery from the council: as a
compromise, he consented that separate meetings should be held in the
convent of San Domingo to consider this subject, offering to transmit to
the Emperor the conclusions adopted. Las Casas was ably seconded in the
proceedings of these meetings, by Fray Luis Cancer, and a declaration was
drawn up declaring that the Indians—with few exceptions—had been unjustly
enslaved and that those who held them were bound to set them free:
slave-holders were described as tyrants and all personal services exacted
from the defenceless natives were condemned. Those who took part in these
meetings and signed the decisions, were destitute of any means to give
effect to them, but they adopted measures to publish and distribute copies
of them throughout the colonies, in the hope that they might influence
public opinion in the right direction.
Las Casas named the Canon, Juan Perera, as his Vicar-General in the
diocese of Chiapa, on the ninth of November, 1546, and at the same time
appointed as confessors the friars Tomas Casillas, Tomas de la Torre,
Domingo de Arana, and Alonso de Villabra, to whom he furnished copies of
the instructions approved by the council of Mexico, in which were
comprised the twelve rules. The colonists appealed to the Emperor against
the instructions, which they held to be unduly severe and onerous for
them, and, in reply to their petition, a royal order dated in Valladolid
on the twenty-eighth of November, 1542, was received by the Audiencia of
Mexico ordering a copy of the disputed regulations to be sent to Spain for
examination.
In the early part of the year 1547, Las Casas arrived in Vera Cruz to
embark for Spain, and after some delay there, until a ship could be found
for the voyage, left the shores of America for the last time(65)