At decisive turning points during the expeditions of conquest, the priests personally took command, for example, in the year 1533 in Peru, when, according to eyewitness reports, on the market square of Cajamarca, a Dominican priest approached the Inca chief Atahualpa, a cruci x in one hand, a Bible in the other.
When the Inca angrily threw the book on the ground – which, of course, he couldn’t read – the priest called to the Spanish soldiers: Attack him – I give you absolution!
And the slaughter began. (Gert von Paczensky, Verbrechen im Namen Christi – Mission und Kolonialismus, p. 67)
Murder and cruelty in the name of “God”! But what did this trigger in the Indians? The following has been passed down from Mexico:
A chief was executed by the Spaniards. Before he was set on re, he was asked whether he wanted to be baptized, in order to at least go to heaven. He replied, asking whether Christians also went to heaven. This was af rmed. Immediately and without further re ection, the caci ue [the chief] replied “that he didn’t want to go there, but rather to hell, so that he would not have to see the same cruel people anymore nor be anywhere they would be.” (taz, Tageszeitung Newspaper, Feb. 21, 1987)