Mexico asks pope to apologize for colonial-era atrocities

Mexico's president asked Pope Francis, in a letter released Saturday, to apologize for the role played by the Catholic Church in the oppression of indigenous people during the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 1500s.

"The Catholic Church, the Spanish monarchy and the Mexican government should make a public apology for the offensive atrocities that indigenous people suffered," President Manuel Andres Lopez Obrador wrote in the letter posted online.

"They deserve not just that generous attitude on our part but also a sincere commitment that never again will disrespectful acts be committed against their beliefs and cultures," he said.

The president asked the pope's statement to be made in favor of Miguel Hidalgo, the 19th-century leader of the Mexican War of Independence.

"I think it would be an act of humility and at the same time greatness," for the church to reconcile posthumously with Hidalgo, Lopez Obrador wrote.

The letter, dated October 2, was delivered to the pope by the president's wife, Beatriz Gutierrez Muller.

500th anniversary of the conquest

The Mexican president's call to the pope is part of the preparations to commemorate in 2021 the 500th anniversary of the 1519-1521 conquest, which decimated the country's pre-Hispanic population.

The church played a key role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas, setting up missions to convert indigenous people to Christianity.

The president had made a similar request in 2019, in a letter to Spain's King Felipe and the pope. The Spanish government, however, rejected the petition arguing that the actions of Spain 500 years ago could not be condemned in contemporary terms.

The Vatican, at the time, did not comment, and instead pointed to the past statements of the pope.

During a trip to Bolivia in 2015, Pope Francis prayed for forgiveness for crimes committed in the name of the church, against America's indigenous peoples during the colonial era.

adi/shs (AP, AFP, dpa)