Papal bulls on conquest and enslavement and the "Doctrine of Discovery"

With the bull Romanus Pontifex of 8 January 1455, Pope Nicholas V confirmed to the King of Portugal the previously granted right to subdue all "Saracens and pagans", to take their possessions and to reduce them to perpetual slavery; the bull mentions people from Guinea who were carried off by force. Some scholars regard the bulls Dum Diversas (1452), Romanus Pontifex (1455) and Inter Caetera (1493) as the basis of the "Doctrine of Discovery", under which colonial powers were allowed to extinguish the land ownership of indigenous peoples. In Bolivia in 2015 Pope Francis asked forgiveness for the wrongs done to the indigenous peoples during the conquest of the Americas. Only on 30 March 2023 did the Holy See expressly repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, 571 years after the first of these bulls.

Period

1452-2023 (571 years)

Country

Bolivia, Portugal, Vatican City

Institutions

Holy See

Category

Admission, Expropriation, Colonialism, Slavery

Level of evidence

A Primary source · what does this mean?

Persons

Nicholas V (Pope)
Francis (Pope)

Background

Course of events

1. On 8 January 1455 Pope Nicholas V issued the bull Romanus Pontifex at the request of the King of Portugal.
   Evidence: Frances Gardiner Davenport, Carnegie Institution of Washington (1917); Wikisource, Einleitung zu Dokument 1

   „On January 8, 1455, doubtless in accordance with the request of King Alfonso, Nicholas V. issued the bull Romanus pontifex“

2. The bull confirms the previously granted permission to attack and subdue all Saracens and pagans, to take all their possessions and to reduce them to perpetual slavery.
   Evidence: Frances Gardiner Davenport, Carnegie Institution of Washington (1917); Wikisource, Dokument 1, Text der Bulle

   „to invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all Saracens and pagans whatsoever“

   Evidence: Frances Gardiner Davenport, Carnegie Institution of Washington (1917); Wikisource, Dokument 1, Text der Bulle

   „all movable and immovable goods whatsoever held and possessed by them and to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery“

3. Some scholars name the bulls Dum Diversas (1452), Romanus Pontifex (1455) and Inter Caetera (1493) as the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery.
   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Presseamt, Nr. 5

   „Certain scholars have argued that the basis of the aforementioned “doctrine” is to be found in several papal documents, such as the Bulls Dum Diversas (1452), Romanus Pontifex (1455) and Inter Caetera (1493)“

4. According to this doctrine, the discovery of land gave the settlers the exclusive right to extinguish the possession and ownership of the indigenous peoples by purchase or conquest.
   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Presseamt, Nr. 5

   „the discovery of lands by settlers granted an exclusive right to extinguish, either by purchase or conquest, the title to or possession of those lands by indigenous peoples“

Why? Justification and motives (according to the sources)

1. According to Davenport, the petitioners justified their requests to the pope on the grounds that trade would promote the spread of the Christian faith; the bull itself names the conversion of those carried off.
   Evidence: Frances Gardiner Davenport, Carnegie Institution of Washington (1917); Wikisource, Einleitung zu Dokument 1

   „the applicant sometimes pointed out to the Pope how commerce tended to the spread of the Christian faith“

Response of the Church

1. The Holy See acknowledges that many Christians committed evil acts against indigenous peoples and mentions expropriation and forced assimilation.
   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Presseamt, Nr. 3

   „Many Christians have committed evil acts against indigenous peoples for which recent Popes have asked forgiveness on numerous occasions“

   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Presseamt, Nr. 4

   „due to the expropriation of their lands“

2. On 9 July 2015 in Bolivia, Pope Francis said that grave sins had been committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God.
   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Überschrift

   „9 July 2015“

   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Teil 3

   „many grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God“

3. On 30 March 2023 two Vatican dicasteries repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery.
   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Presseamt, Titel

   „Doctrine of Discovery”, 30.03.2023“

   Evidence: Heiliger Stuhl, Presseamt, Nr. 7

   „The Catholic Church therefore repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political “doctrine of discovery”“

Original texts

See also

• Person 1 Jan 1431-18 Aug 1503 · 72 years old

  Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia)

  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Vatican City
  • Expropriation
  • Financial misconduct
• 1883-1999 · 116 years

  Residential schools for Indigenous children in Canada

  • Canada
  • Violence
  • Colonialism
  • Sexual abuse

Original documents to read

1. Church document
   Heiliger Stuhl, Presseamt: Joint Statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the “Doctrine of Discovery”, 30 March 2023. Original (retrieved 11 Oct 2026)
2. Church document
   Heiliger Stuhl: Apostolic Journey to Bolivia: Address at the Second World Meeting of Popular Movements, 9 July 2015. Original (retrieved 11 Oct 2026)

Scholarly literature and reference works

1. Scholarly literature
   Frances Gardiner Davenport, Carnegie Institution of Washington (1917); Wikisource: European Treaties bearing on the History of the United States and its Dependencies to 1648, Dokument 1: The Papal Bull Romanus Pontifex, 1 January 1917. Original (retrieved 11 Oct 2026)

Last changed on 22 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.