On The Infidels And Slavery

[MitchWitts]

So I've read some statements that say certain Popes approved of forced conversion, or at least Holy War, which unlike the Crusades, which were meant to subdue Pagan populations. Is there truth to this? What did the Church's teachings or the Gospel have to do with any of it?

 

And on Slavery, So specifically Paul III, he wrote Sublimus Dei in which he condemns the Spanish slave trade, but in a few years time he gave up on it and let the Spanish run wild. He preceded to repeal anti-slavery laws in Rome, here's some text on that;

“[we decree] that each and every person of either sex, whether Roman or non-Roman, whether secular or clerical, and no matter of what dignity, status, degree, order or condition they be, may freely and lawfully buy and sell publicly any slaves whatsoever of either sex, and make contracts about them as is accustomed to be done in other places, and publicly hold them as slaves and make use of their work, and compel them to do the work assigned to them. And with Apostolic authority, by the tenor of these present documents, we enact and decree in perpetuity that slaves who flee to the Capital and appeal for their liberty shall in no wise be freed from the bondage of their servitude...but they shall be returned in slavery to their owners, and if it seems proper they shall be punished as runaways; and we very strictly forbid our beloved sons who for the time being are conservatori of the said city to presume by their authority to emancipate the aforesaid slaves – who flee as previously described and appeal for their liberty – from the bondage of their slavery, irrespective of whether they were made Christians after enslavement, or whether they were born in slavery even from Christian slave parents according to the provisions of common law...

 

So am I missing part of the picture? How can I defend the faith?

[Theoketos]

The Church has always condemned forced conversations. 

 

This is a pope speaking as a secular ruler.  You need to read Lumen Gentium and pay special attention to the levels of the magisterium. I linked that in my last answer.

Often men in charge of the Church did evil things, even in the name of the Church. How did St. Paul deal with St. Peter when he committed a serious public scandal? Be an imitator of St. Paul as he was Christ.  

[Theoketos]

Also, read this article:

 

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/facts/fm0006.html