Learned and virtuous men.

>Father Sandoval, a Catholic priest in the Americas wrote to Brother Luis Brandoan, a Church official in Africa, asking if the enslavement of Africans was legal according to Church doctrine. Brother Brandoan’s response, dated March 12, 1610, answered, “Your Reverence writes me that you would like to know whether the Negroes who are sent to your parts have been legally captured. To this I reply that I think your Reverence should have no scruples on this point, because this is a matter which has been questioned by the Board of Conscience in Lisbon, and all its members are learned and conscious men. Nor did the bishops who were in Sao Thome, Cape Verde, and here in Loando – all learned and virtuous men – find fault with it. We have been here ourselves for forty years and there have been among us very learned Fathers… never did they consider the trade as illicit. Therefore we and the Fathers of Brazil buy these slaves for our service without any scruple.” _____________________________ **Source:** Stephens, John Richard. “Victims of History.” *Weird History 101: Tales of Intrigue, Mayhem, and Outrageous Behavior*. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2006. 155. Print.