During a recent trip to Canada, Pope Francis begged for forgiveness for the Catholic Church's role in the oppression, mistreatment and cultural genocide of indigenous people in Canada. However, he faced criticism that he did not do more to fulfil other demands and to take more tangible steps to make amends for the role of the church's role. The indigenous people of Canada want reparations and investment, accountability for those who perpetrated abuse at Catholic-run-schools and for the return of sacred indigenous artefacts from the Vatican. What was done to these people is similar to what was done to indigenous people in America and Australia, where children were removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools to "civilize" them.
All of this came about as a result of the 15th century papal Doctrine of Discovery. It gave blessing to European colonizers to seize land that was not inhabited by Christians. Non-Christians, were in effect, deemed savages. The same thing happened in our country to Native Americans.
For centuries the Doctrine of Discovery was used throughout the world to basically enslave Non-Christians. In 1455 the pope approved Portugal's claims to lands discovered along the coast of West Africa. The discovery doctrine was expounded by the US Supreme Court in a series of decisions that explained the way colonial powers laid claim to lands belonging to foreign soverign nations during the Age of Discovery. Under it, if colonial powers discover a territory, they could lay title to it.
The Discovery Doctrine is still in effect, although it has been condemned by Christian institutions around the world. It is still used today. The Pope acknowledges it has an adverse impact on the lives of people today, and it should be repudiated. The Vatican says the matter is under discussion.
No comments:
Post a Comment