Bartolomé de las Casas
Spanish Dominican friar, historian, and social reformer (1474–1566)
Who they were
Bartolomé de las Casas, born at Seville probably in 1474, studied law at Salamanca and went to Hispaniola in 1502; by 1510 he was a priest. Seeing the Native peoples overworked and harshly treated, he gave his life to defending them before the Spanish court.
At one point he proposed bringing African labourers to spare the Indians; he later recognised this as an error. He was admired for his absolute devotion to the cause of humanity and his untiring zeal. He died at Madrid in 1566.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe his cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A priest who spent his life defending the Native peoples of the Americas.
The cause
Bartolomé de las Casas is named a Servant of God; the cause continues. Favours received, and offers of help, go to the postulation, the office that carries the cause forward: Dominicans: the cause of Bartolomé de las Casas.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Bartolomé de las Casas
- Wikidata Q207416 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Bartolomé de las Casas (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.