Isonto LamaKatolika ESpain—Amandla Nelungelo
“INkosi ayishiyanga kuPetru amandla okubusa iSonto kuphela kodwa nawokubusa izwe lonke.”—Pope Innocent III.
LAPHO uInnocent III ebhala lawomazwi ekuqaleni kwekhulu le-13 leminyaka, iSonto lamaKatolika lenkathi ephakathi lalidlondlobele ngamandla alo. Kodwa umgwaqo owawuya emandleni esikhashana wawuphendlwe izinhlangano ezingokombangazwe kunezingokomoya. Lokhu kwakunjalo ngokukhethekile eSpain.
Isonto laseSpain lathatha amandla nelungelo ngokuhlanganisa amabutho noMbuso.
Ubunye Obungokwenkolo Ithuluzi Elingokombangazwe
Ngo-1479, ngemva kwamakhulu eminyaka okubusa kwemibuso ehlukene nexabanayo, cishe lonke elaseSpain laba nobunye ngaphansi kokubusa kukaFerdinand noIsabella. Kodwa lesizwe esasisanda kwakhiwa sasiyoba nobunye kanjani emqondweni nasenjongweni? UFerdinand wathola usizo lwesonto. Ngo-1478 Ukuqulwa Kwamacala Ezihlubuki kwamiswa ngaphansi kokusekela kobupapa. Manje, kulawulwa inkosi futhi kuqhutshwa isonto, kwazibonakalisa kuyisikhali esinamandla kakhulu esiklanyelwe ukuvimbela ukuhlubuka okungokwenkolo nokungokombangazwe. Njengoba wonke amaKatolika aseSpain abhapathiziwe azithoba ngokushesha ejokeni lakho, okuwukuphela kwesithiyo esasisele ebunyeni kwakuyizigidi eziningana—zamaJuda namaMoors.
Ngo-1429 ngaphansi kokucindezela koMqulisi Omkhulu uTorquemada, uFerdinand noIsabella bamisa umthetho wokuxoshwa kwawo wonke amaJuda angabhapathiziwe eSpain. Iminyaka eyishumi kamuva, wonke amaMoors enqaba ukuba ngamaKatolika nawo futhi axoshwa. UFriar Bleda wachaza ukukhishwa ngenkani kwamaSulumane ‘njengesenzakalo esasijabulisa kakhulu eSpain kusukela esikhathini sabaphostoli.’ Wenezela: “Manje ubunye obungokwenkolo bulondekile, futhi isikhathi sokuchuma nakanjani sesizofika.” IEspaña Católica (iSpain eyiKatolika) yayibe engokoqobo, futhi ngokudunyiswa uIsabella noFerdinand babizwa nguPapa Alexander VI ngokuthi “Amakhosi Amakhulu AmaKatolika”.
Njengoba ubunye obungokwenkolo babufinyelelwe ekhaya, isonto laseSpain landisa imingcele yalo. Ngaphansi kokwengamela kobukhosi baseSpain, uColumbus wayesanda kusungula amazwe amasha nabantu eNyakatho naseNingizimu-Melika. Abantu abazinikele ngokuphelele esontweni, abangamaDominican nabangamaFranciscan behambisana nabanqobi, bahamba ngomkhumbi beya eZweni Elisha, bephokophelele ukuletha amaqaba esontweni.
UCortés, umnqobi waseMexico, watshelwa ukuthi umgomo oyinhloko wohambo lwakhe kwakuwukukhonza uNkulunkulu nokusakaza ukholo lobuKristu. Nokho, wavuma ngokulimisa ngesihloko: “Ngizele igolide.” Mhlawumbe iningi labanqobi lalinezisusa ezihlangahlangene, ezifana nalezo ezaboniswa ngomunye wabo: “Lapha sizele ukuzokhonza uNkulunkulu nokuthi futhi sicebe.”
Ngaphambi kokuqalisa ukunqoba indawo ethile, abanqobi babefunda kakhulu incwadi eyayinesihloko esithi Los requisitos—kungakhathaliseki ukuthi izakhamuzi ziyabezwa noma azibezwa—ngokuvumelana nendingeko yokuba izakhamuzi ziqaphele ukuthi isonto lalilawula umhlaba nokuthi inkosi yaseSpain yayingummeleli walo. Ukwenqaba ukuvuma lokho kwakwanele ukuba kucatshangelwe ukumiswa kwamazwe ngempi okuthiwa “impi yokulunga.”
Izigidi zezakhamuzi zabhapathizwa, abaningi babhapathizwa ngokushesha ngemva kokuba benqotshiwe. Ngemva kwalokho, abapristi nabantu abazinikele esontweni babambisana nababusi baseSpain ekulawuleni lamazwe amasha. Njengoba isazi-mlando sesonto uPaul Johnson aphawula: “ISonto lamaKatolika laliwumnyango kahulumeni waseSpain, ikakhulukazi eNyakatho naseNingizimu-Melika. . . . Ngenxa yalokho, iSonto lalidinga isivikelo, ilungelo, nokuzinikela kobukhosi okuqinile okholweni lwemfundiso yenkolo.”
Ngakho, ngasekupheleni kwekhulu le-16 leminyaka, isonto eSpain lalibe isonto lesizwe elinamandla kakhulu kweLobukholwa. Lasebenzisa ukulawula okungokwenkolo okuphelele kuyo yonke iSpain nengxenye enkulu yeNew World. Kodwa ukuba namandla awodwa aphethe nelungelo eyayilijabulela ngokungenakugwemeka kwaholela ezenzweni ezimbi ezazikhexisa umlomo kunakwamanye amazwe.
[Amazwi acashunwe esihlokweni ekhasini 5]
“Lapha sizele ukuzokhonza uNkulunkulu nokuthi futhi sicebe”