Before Las Casas returned to Spain, he was also appointed as Bishop of Chiapas, a newly established diocese of which he took possession in 1545 upon his return to the New World. He was consecrated in the Dominican Church of San Pablo on 30 March 1544. As Archbishop Loaysa strongly disliked Las Casas, the ceremony was officiated by Loaysa's nephew, Diego de Loaysa, Bishop of Modruš, with Pedro Torres, Titular Bishop of Arbanum, and Cristóbal de Pedraza, Bishop of Comayagua, as co-consecrators. As a bishop Las Casas was involved in frequent conflicts with the encomenderos and secular laity of his diocese: among the landowners there was the conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo. In a pastoral letter issued on 20 March 1545, Las Casas refused absolution to slave owners and encomenderos even on their death bed, unless all their slaves had been set free and their property returned to them. Las Casas furthermore threatened that anyone who mistreated Indians within his jurisdiction would be excommunicated. He also came into conflict with the Bishop of Guatemala Francisco Marroquín, to whose jurisdiction the diocese had previously belonged. To Las Casas's dismay Bishop Marroquín openly defied the New Laws. While bishop, Las Casas was the principal consecrator of Antonio de Valdivieso, Bishop of Nicaragua (1544).
Before Las Casas returned to Spain he was also appointed as Bishop of Chiapas a newly established diocese of which he took possession in 1545 upon his return to the New World He was consecrated in the Dominican Church of San Pablo on 30 March 1544 As Archbishop Loaysa strongly disliked Las Casas the ceremony was officiated by Loaysa's nephew Diego de Loaysa Bishop of Modruš with Pedro Torres Titular Bishop of Arbanum and Cristóbal de Pedraza Bishop of Comayagua as co-consecrators As a bishop Las Casas was involved in frequent conflicts with the encomenderos and secular laity of his diocese among the landowners there was the conquistador Bernal Díaz del Castillo In a pastoral letter issued on 20 March 1545 Las Casas refused absolution to slave owners and encomenderos even on their death bed unless all their slaves had been set free and their property returned to them Las Casas furthermore threatened that anyone who mistreated Indians within his jurisdiction would be excommunicated He also came into conflict with the Bishop of Guatemala Francisco Marroquín to whose jurisdiction the diocese had previously belonged To Las Casas's dismay Bishop Marroquín openly defied the New Laws While bishop Las Casas was the principal consecrator of Antonio de Valdivieso Bishop of Nicaragua (1544)