A fact that marked world history was the discovery of America by Columbus, but his great accomplishments required others to also fulfill their missions.
Newsdesk (07/01/2026 14:51, Gaudium Press) Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. Several authors claim that he was of Jewish origin. According to Salvador de Madariaga (1886-1978), a Spanish writer who ideologically fought against Communism and the regime established by Franco, Columbus was a descendant of Catalan Jews who fled to Italy.
From adolescence, he sailed the seas. He traveled the Mediterranean from end to end and fought against Muslim fleets.
After a naval battle in 1476, he suffered a terrible shipwreck and was washed up on a deserted beach in Portugal. He walked to Lisbon, where he took up residence and married a woman of minor nobility.
Always focused on maritime affairs, he dreamed of conquering new lands, studied, drew up maps, and sought out people who could help him carry out his plans. Achieving nothing in Portugal, he traveled to Spain.
Monastery of La Rábida, Palos de la Frontera, Huelva
Monastery of Santa Maria de la Rábida
In 1485, he went to the Franciscan monastery of Santa Maria de la Rábida, near the port of Palos de la Frontera, in southern Spain. The Superior welcomed him and gave him a letter of recommendation to the great Catholic queen Isabella.
He traveled to Córdoba, where Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile received him. Learned men examined Columbus’ plan and did not approve it; some said he was delusional…
The Franciscan monk of Santa Maria wrote again about Columbus to the Queen, who decided to approve his venture.
Columbus sailed to Palos de la Frontera, where he obtained three ships and 90 seamen. On the day of departure, August 3rd, 1492, everyone went to confession and took Communion. They arrived in what is now the Dominican Republic on October 12th, where they erected a cross.
He returned to Spain and, in April 1493, was received by the Catholic monarchs at a monastery near Barcelona.
He made three more voyages to America and died on May 20th, 1506, in the city of Valladolid in northwestern Spain.[1]
An action of great grandeur
Regarding Columbus’ accomplishment, Dr. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira made comments that we summarize below.
It was a remarkably significant undertaking because of its effects, revealing a new world. Significant because of the effort involved and the risks to which the sailors were exposed, as it required them to venture into the unknown for the first time.
Furthermore, at that time, it was generally believed that the world was flat, like a plate. So, the big problem was to reach the edge of the sea, where they believed it connected with the sky.
What would happen there? Some imagined that the waters of the sea fell into a bottomless abyss, and when they recklessly reached that place, the ship would sink. It was, therefore, a very risky undertaking. All of this filled them with real dread.
Finally, the undertaking was great because of the enormous crossing to be made.
Furthermore, the greatness of the action is evident by the illustrious lady who commissioned it — Isabella the Catholic, who, upon conquering Granada together with her husband, King Ferdinand II, brought an end to the long reconquest undertaken by Spain and Portugal, who fought valiantly for centuries to liberate the Iberian Peninsula from Muslim rule.
Isabella, the Catholic, pawned the Crown jewels
The voyage was heading toward such an uncertain destination that, at one point, Columbus’ sailors were so indignant that they wanted to return to Spain, as they considered the venture madness.
Christopher Columbus was about to face a mutiny from his sailors when green tree branches began to appear floating in the sea, a clear sign that land was nearby. So they pressed on until they reached the island of Santo Domingo and began the conquest of America.
There is one detail that makes this undertaking even more noteworthy: Queen Isabella did not have the money to pay for the expedition. However, she did not hesitate to take the risk. She ordered the Crown jewels to be taken, pawned them, and raised the money.
Therefore, if Columbus had been shipwrecked, the Queen would have lost this treasure. But she was courageous in every sense of the word.
They risked their lives for a lofty goal
Furthermore, Columbus faced a great challenge. He had studied, made calculations, and was certain that those lands must exist, but he faced a revolt from his sailors, who could have killed him.
Undoubtedly, it is wonderful when you achieve an expected victory, but when an unexpected victory comes, it is even more beautiful.
In my view, of all the aspects that make this voyage so exciting, it is the risk. If there had been no risk to life, all this would be much less grandiose. Although these are not military feats, the risks of this voyage arouse an enthusiasm similar to that of the military, precisely because those men risked their lives for a lofty goal.
Charlemagne, the missionary emperor
But poor Christopher Columbus, if we compare him to Charlemagne, the magnificent warrior who contained the barbarians in Germany and broke their fury, prevented the Moors from crossing the Pyrenees, and helped start the reaction against the pagan Normans who were entering France via its rivers, thereby laying the foundations of modern Europe.
For centuries and centuries, Catholic Europe, Mistress of the world, was the daughter of the gift given to God by Charlemagne.
It is a beautiful thing to give a nation to God. Charlemagne gave a continent, the most glorious and illustrious family of nations in history: Europe. He gave even more, for America is the daughter of Europe from end to end. Hence, she is also a fruit of Charlemagne, the missionary emperor.
Charlemagne was a providential man. His actions always had a supernatural aspect, understanding the value of divine grace in the fight against the devil and for the conversion and sanctification of souls.
He had a clear understanding of the importance of his mission, the goals that needed to be achieved, and the means to bring people together to accomplish them. He knew the tactics, the tricks, the ways to achieve his ends.
In the life of Charlemagne we see this in a splendid way. He was the powerful Emperor, the magnificent patriarch who inspired enthusiasm, the warrior who struck fear into all the enemies of the Church. [2]
He was faithful to his mission, as were Ferdinand and Isabella, as was Columbus … and, so, the Catholic Church was spread to the New World!
By Paulo Francisco Martos
extracted with adaptations from Noções de História da Igreja
[1] Cf. DARRAS, Joseph Epiphane. Histoire Génerale de l’Église. Paris: Louis Vivès. 1884, v. 32, p. 157-170.
[2] Cf. CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, Plinio. A História considerada em função da glória.
In Dr. Plinio. São Paulo. Ano 24, n. 274 (janeiro 2021), p. 14-18. Os homens providenciais. Ano 15, n. 172 (julho 2012), p. 7.
Compiled by Roberta MacEwan
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