The Vatican released a document on Thursday to distance itself from the Catholic Church’s colonial excesses. He “rejects” the fifteenth-century papal edicts authorizing the enslavement of indigenous peoples, chiefly in America.
This position refers to the terrible campaigns of forced conversions waged by the Catholic Church after the arrival of Europeans in the Americas in the wake of Christopher Columbus’ expedition in 1492.
This text found a particular echo in Canada, where around 150,000 Aboriginal children were taken from their families between the late 19th century and the 1990s. They were housed in boarding schools, often run by the Catholic Church, where they were cut off from their family, language and culture. The Pope has now recognized that this boarding school drama was tantamount to genocide.
This rejection of the papal edicts, “it is immense”, was what Canadian-born Senator Michèle Audette told AFP. “For many of us, it’s been asked for for decades,” she added.
During Pope Francis’ visit to Canada in July 2022, indigenous associations urged him to rescind the papal “bulls” — official documents signed by the pope — that formed the origin of the “discovery doctrine” that empowered European powers to colonize non-Christian countries and peoples. This doctrine was used as late as 2005 in a United States Supreme Court ruling to justify the seizure of indigenous lands.
This “affects all indigenous peoples of the world,” said Jean-François Roussel, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Montreal. “It is probably the last chapter in the time of the lyrics. Action must now follow,” added the expert, referring to the question of financial compensation, funding projects or cultural revitalization, which already exist but need to be strengthened.
In the note, released Thursday jointly by the Dicasteries (ministry) of Culture and Education and the Service for Integral Human Development, the Vatican refers to three papal “bulls” ruled by Nicholas V and Alexander in the 15th century VI. were issued.
The Vatican now considers these “cops” to be “political documents used for immoral acts” and believes that they “were never considered to be expressions of the Catholic faith.” The Holy See further recognizes that they “do not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples”.
“The Catholic Church therefore rejects concepts that do not recognize the inherent human rights of indigenous peoples, including what is legally and politically known as the ‘doctrine of discovery’. »
The Vatican document acknowledges that “many Christians have committed malevolent acts against indigenous peoples, for which recent popes have repeatedly asked forgiveness.” And the Catholic Church, he continues, “has become aware of its past and present suffering because of the expropriation of its land […]and the policy of forced assimilation”.
In a press release, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed its gratitude to the Holy See for the publication of this text.
When asked about this painful subject on the plane after his return from Canada, the Argentine Pope described this “doctrine of colonization” as “bad” and “unjust”. “This mentality that we’re superior and the locals don’t matter is serious. For that we have to work in this direction. Go back and clean up everything that has been done badly, but know that the same colonialism exists today,” he added.