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It (along with a number of other disease) came with the first Europeans. There *is* evidence that there may have been a (much) later attempt to deliberately spread the disease with infested blankets. However, the mastermind of that effort was not a priest but a general. Lord Amherst in 1763, to be exact*.
*William McNeil - brilliant historian and author of Plagues and Peoples.
Additionally, the earliest agents of the Catholic Church in the "New World" actually served to restrain the activities of the secular authorities. The Jesuits were the conscience of the less ethical Spanish explorers, often being the only buffer between the native peoples and brutality. True, they did have the ultimate objective of converting "the heathen." And some were as bad-charactered as the Conquistadors they served. But many were dedicated to helping the native peoples in whatever capacity they could. Read H.R. Bolton's Padre on Horseback sometime. You can argue Father Kino was misguided, but his intentions were never less than honorable.
-Theo
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