I thought this was important all on its own. Did they put this before everything? Was he just really religious?–Tmoon95 annotation on September 9, 2015

This statement also has a lot to do with the culture of the time: The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition (Spanish: Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition (Inquisición española), was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and to replace the Medieval Inquisition, which was under Papal control.

Recall that Ferdinand and Isabella were the reigning monarchs who funded Columbus’ voyages.