Bartolomé de Las Casas was a 16th-century Dominican friar, best known for his detailed accounts of the early stages of the Spanish Empire's colonization of the West Indies. His most famous work, entitled A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, outlined the numerous atrocities committed against the native population by the Spanish colonizers. Las Casas' letter was written to King Charles I of Spain with the aim of informing him of these misdeeds. Furthermore, Las Casas hoped that Charles I would remedy the situation before Spain fell victim to the wrath of God. The Catholic Reformation of the 16th century, also called the Counter-Reformation, was the Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation. Its primary mission was to purify, revitalize, and expand Christianity. Many new religious orders and sects began to form in the wake of the Reformation. The most important of these new orders was the Society of Jesus, founded in 1540 and led by Ignatius of Loyola. The Jesuits took a vow of obedience, poverty and chastity. They are also well known for their loyalty to the Pope and for some Jesuits elected to dedicate themselves to God as missionaries at the request of the Pope. Francis Xavier, a founding member of the Society of Jesus, was one of the first Jesuit missionaries to travel to Asia and was particularly renowned for his missionary successes in Japan. In 1552, St. Francis Xavier wrote a letter entitled Missionaries in Japan, in which he described the cultural norms of Japanese society and the daily lives of Jesuit missionaries. His writings provided insight into how Roman Catholicism spread throughout Asia and the difficulties these missionaries faced. These acc... middle of paper... aw, natural law, and therefore also Spanish law. Xavier on the other hand was equally influential for his personal commitment to the spread of Christianity and the successes of his missions. Perhaps Xavier's most profound impact was not his letter, or his ability to adapt Christian constructs, but rather his ability to be a religious pioneer in a distant land. His faith in God was unrivaled and is still used by the church to teach missionaries the value of their work. During his life he converted thousands of people with his words and actions. Today, his letter remains equally informative and important to Christianity as it serves as a symbol of self-sacrifice and guidance for modern missionaries. These two authors used different strategies to promote the spread of Christianity and helped foster the Christian emphasis on morality.