Faithful Catholic Professionals on Whitewashing History: The Catholic Church and the Americas

Faithful Catholic Professionals has an excellent take-down on a tired old meme. Get it here!

A sampler:

an important note to make is NO CLERGY traveled with Columbus on his maiden voyage. Some of the earliest impressions of churchmen come as late as 1511. Father Antonio de Montesinos, a Dominican priest, writes:

"This voice says that you are living in deadly sin for the atrocities you tyrannically impose on these innocent people. Tell me, what right have you to enslave them? What authority did you use to make war against them who lived at peace on their territories, killing them cruelly with methods never before heard of? How can you oppress them and not care to feed or cure them, and work them to death to satisfy your greed? And, why don't you look after their spiritual health, so that they should come to know God, that they should be baptized, and that they should hear Mass and keep the holy days? Aren't they human beings? Have they no rational soul? Aren't you obliged to love them as you love yourselves? Don't you understand? How can you live in such a lethargical dream? You must rest assured that you are in no better state of salvation than the Moors or Turks who reject the Christian faith."

He also explodes the myth that the Catholic Church supported slavery. Witness:

In the former, Saint Bathilde (King Clovis II's wife) worked to free ALL SLAVES as early as the seventh century. Saint Anskar had many run-ins with the Vikings over slavery (851). The Church would routinely BAPTIZE slaves in order they be treated with the full rights of Christians. Four hundred years BEFORE Columbus sailed, William the Conqueror (1027-1087) outlawed slavery. Saint Wulfstan (1009-1095) and Saint Anselm (1033-1109), both Bishops, forbade making Christians slaves.

The problem wasn't official Church teaching or sanction, the problem was, as it is today, THE UNWILLINGNESS OF PEOPLE TO FOLLOW CHURCH TEACHING AND INSTRUCTION.

Read the whole thing.