Sublimis Deus
Also known as: Sublimus Dei
- 1Promulgated by Pope Paul III on 2 June 1537.
- 2The bull explicitly forbids the enslavement of Indigenous peoples.
- 3It declares that indigenous populations are fully rational human beings.
- 4The decree affirms universal rights to freedom and property for all people.
Sublimis Deus is a Papal bull promulgated by Pope Paul III on 2 June 1537, which forbids the enslavement of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and all other Indigenous people who could be discovered later or previously known.
Connections1
papal bull influenced by the School's human rights discourse
This 1537 papal bull, which forbade the enslavement of indigenous peoples in the Americas, reflects the moral arguments regarding natural rights developed by Francisco de Vitoria and his colleagues.
Sublimis Deus is a significant Papal bull issued by Pope Paul III on 2 June 1537. It serves as a formal declaration regarding the status of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas and other populations encountered during the era of exploration. The document was a direct intervention in the debates concerning the humanity and rights of non-European peoples.
The bull explicitly forbids the enslavement of these populations, asserting that they are fully rational human beings. By affirming their inherent rights to freedom and property, the decree challenged the prevailing justifications for colonial exploitation, regardless of the religious status of the individuals involved, including those described as heathen.