I was thinking about Christopher Columbus, of all people, over the Columbus Day weekend. I was wondering what ever happened to the movement to have him beatified and eventually become a saint in the Catholic Church.
By all measures, he was a devout Catholic whose crew members publicly recited prayers on his ships. One of his intentions when he set sail for the East was to bring the Christian faith to those who did not believe. Much of his ship’s log reads like a prayer with thanks to God and blessings upon the sailors. At the end of his first journey, he ended with these words: “I hope in our Lord that it (the discovery) will be the greatest honour for Christianity.”
I remember being very disappointed in 1992 when we celebrated the 500th anniversary of the discovery of the New World. It was hardly a joyous time. Instead, the quincentenary of Columbus’ first journey to America turned out to be a time of political correctness when the great explorer was pummeled for his hostility toward the indigenous people he found here and for the way in which he coveted their land.
So was Columbus a saint or a sinner?
His ships’ logs begin with prayer and dedication to the Creator. He was a firm believer in the Holy See. He sincerely wanted all people to be exposed to the one true God. But by today’s standards, the brave man from Genoa has no chance of being declared a saint.
Today, our convert-making apostolate resists any use of force. People are free to choose their faith. Catholics use the power of good example and rely on the intervention of the Holy Spirit to win over new members of the Church.
Columbus’ idea of capturing native leaders and training them in the doctrines of the faith so they could bring them back to their people would be totally unacceptable in today’s Church. Our concepts about religion have developed and been refined to respect the beliefs of all people. We are called to individual and corporate goodness so that we all will be lifted up by our good works.
Unfortunately, not all religions feel the same. There are still some radical fanatics of other faiths who remain intolerant of any other belief. Witness what is currently going on in Egypt where radical Muslims continue to persecute Christians in hopes that they will leave the country. The ouster of Mubarak was reason for hope earlier this year but it has regressed into an atmosphere that is hostile to Christians as churches are being burned and people attacked simply because of their religion.
The lessons of history, so clear to some, remain a stumbling block to others.
Christopher Columbus set out to do what he thought was the right thing. In hindsight, some might say he erred in some of his judgments. But do we judge a person’s accomplishments on the merits of his deeds or do we reconsider the events of the past with the insights of history?
We honor Columbus with parades and sales and days off from work. His contribution to history cannot be denied. But his legacy continues to be debated.
Even in death, he remains something of a mystery. Depending on whom you believe, he is buried either in Cuba, Santo Domingo, or Spain.
How do you regard Columbus? Saint or sinner? Hero or rogue? I’d be interested in knowing your opinions.
Congratulations and thank you Editor Ed, for a most well balanced article re one of society’s favorite topics: Columbus. Despite what some might say about him, your words resonate for Columbus was a discoverer and a man of faith. Who are we to say whether he was a saint or sinner, who are we to judge a man of “his” times, now many centuries later. A hero, yes, for who could imagine the battles of the weather and conditions at that time in making it across the ocean. A rough, perhaps, but again he was persistent in his dream and what he might find. Now hundreds of years later, we have the “revisionists” of our society, yet trying to figure it all out, especially when we did not have a video, a DVD or an iPhone. Imagine that disappointment for Columbus! Nevertheless, he did it and discovered it and told of it. I would conjecture that he was a special man!