Mexico asks Pope Francis for apology for church's role in Spanish conquest

Mexico's president says the Vatican should apologise for reprehensible atrocities' in colonisation 500 years ago

Mexico's president has written to Pope Francis to ask for an apology for the Catholic church's role in the oppression of indigenous people in the Spanish conquest 500 years ago.

The request was made in a two-page letter that also asked the Vatican to temporarily return several ancient indigenous manuscripts held in its library, ahead of next year's 500-year anniversary of the Spanish conquest of Mexico.