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. The Catholic church played a key role as Spain colonised the Americas and spread its empire, setting up missions to convert indigenous people to Christianity.