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Mexico demands apology from Spain and the Vatican over conquest

  • Mexico demands apology from Spain and the Vatican over conquest
    Mr López Obrador was unsparing in his criticism of both Spain and the Vatican, saying: "The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first." Mexico demands apology from Spain and the Vatican over conquest
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Politics
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The Mexican president has sent a letter to Spain's King Felipe VI and Pope Francis urging them to apologise for human rights abuses committed during the conquest of the region.

Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the indigenous peoples of Mexico had been the victims of massacres.

Speaking in the ruins of an ancient Mexican city, he called for a full account of the abuses.

Spain rejected the call and called for a "constructive perspective" instead.

Mr López Obrador was unsparing in his criticism of both Spain and the Vatican, saying: "The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first."

"There were massacres and oppression. The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross," he said.

"They built their churches on top of the [indigenous] temples."

Mexico has the world's second biggest Roman Catholic population, after Brazil.