The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-04-27
THE FIRST PRIEST
ORDAINED IN NEW WORLD
Interesting Facts In the Career Of the
Famous Dominican Missionary,
Father Las Casas.


What is the claim of Las Casas to
be considered one of the worlds
greatest men? 1t is that he was one
man to insist on an act of ideal hon
esty-that the enormously rich con-
tinent of South America-taken by
force from the Indians-should be
restored to them, writes J. G. McWal-
ter in the Dublin Leader. Imagine, if
you can, an English ecclesiastical say
ing: "The Lord gave the land of Ire
land to the people of Ireland. We
English have robbed them of their
lands and goods. 1t is not lawful for
our children to inherit that stolen
property. 1t must be restored to the
Irish, and we may only bequeath what
we made by honest commerce" The
thing is unthinkable. Betimes the
British declare their immaculate hon
esty, but the conception of restoring
conquered lands could not enter their
heads.
First Priest.
This did Bartolomeo de Las Casas,
born in 1474, a graduate of Salamanca,
who became a Dominican, and was
the first priest ordained in America.
Not only did he announce it as a
theoretical truth, but he actually got
the king to approve of the principle In
his New Laws as they were de-
scribed. At an early stage Of the con-
quest he took on himself the cause of
tie of the rights of the Indians. See
ing that all around him, except few
Dominican monks, were absorbed In
the greed of gold, he constituted him
self the advocate of the Indians, the
messenger of peace and goodwill into
the Christian fold. But let a Protest
ant writer in FraZer's Magazine speak
of him:
From the time that his mission
was clear to him, the clerigo became
a statesman, an orator, controversial
list, an ambassador, rebuker of the
proud, champion of the oppressed,
the most energetic and indomitable
man among men Of general and ex-
traordinary energy. No delays In
antechambers wearied him; neither
scorn nor violence turned him aside;
he was neither awed by those who
wore mitres. His days, except during
a period in which he was forced into
unwelcome retreat, were passed in
incessant travel. He resembled the
indefatigable Paul of Tarsus in the
labors he underwent for the services
of mankind. With equal boldness,
and with equal freedom from vain
glory, Las Casas might have said that
he had in journeys often in perils of
waters, in perils of robbers, in perils
of his own countrymen, in perils by
the heather, in perils in the city, in
perils in the wilderness, in WEAKNESS
and painfulness, in watchings often,
in hunger and thirst, in cold and max
edness.' He was a conqueror, since
it was he who converted the land of
war into the land of peace; he was
a king for the name of Las Casas
commanded more implicit obedience
from Indians than the arms of mailed
captains; he was Judge, from whose
decisions no one appealed; he was an
ambassador needing no credentials,
for he was welcome and an honored
guest in every Indian village; he was
priest whose benedictions no wor-
shipper of wood or stone refused, and
among the doctors and casuists Of
Europe he was second to none In his
skill In fence, with the weapons Of
Aquinas, the Master OF Sentences.
With his voice spoke the lawgivers OF
the Indians; to him the Emperor
listened in his closet, and the Junta In
their halls of audience. He had
crossed the ocean twelve times. Four
times he had made his way into Ger
many to see the Emperor He trav-
eled often without script, and always
without sword"
Bishop OF chiapa.
Had a record been kept OF his
wanderings," says the Historian
Helps, such as that which medals
contain OF the Emperor Hadrian, or
such as exist In writings OF Journeys
OF Charles ", It would have shown
that Las Casas surpassed both the
Roman and the German Caesar i'm &C
tivity. Not even age found him a
hermitage. Against his viii he was
made Bishop Of Chiapa after he had
refused to be made Bishop OF Cusco.
His diocese proved to him as unquiet
n. ~@ T. ~.