True, this was not the most important issue of the trip. How could they let the pope go to Canada without a thorough briefing on this topic? If he had been briefed, he probably would have been happy to reject it. How could the pope make a trip to Canada to apologize for the church’s role in forced assimilation without knowing about the Doctrine of Discovery? Why was he not briefed on this?Ĭertainly, there are people in the Vatican, especially in the Secretariat of State, and among the Canadian hierarchy who know that this doctrine is of concern to the Indigenous leaders in Canada and elsewhere. In one of his addresses, he assailed the Catholic missionaries who “supported oppressive and unjust policies” against Native peoples in the country’s notorious residential schools and vowed to pursue truth and healing. Francis wrapped up his Canadian pilgrimage by meeting with Indigenous delegations and visiting Inuit territory in northern Nunavut. Pope Francis speaks to journalists aboard the papal flight back from Canada, July 30, 2022, where he paid a six-day pastoral visit. What? The pope does not know what the Doctrine of Discovery is? There isn’t an excuse for this lapse. Could you explain what you mean by Doctrine of Discovery?” “I didn’t understand the second part of the question. “Considering that this is still enshrined in the Constitution and legal systems in Canada and the United States, where Indigenous peoples continue to be defrauded of their lands and deprived of power, was it not a missed opportunity to make a statement to this effect during your trip to Canada?”
“As a descendant of a residential school survivor, I know that survivors and their families want to see concrete actions following your apology, including the rejection of the ‘Doctrine of Discovery,’” she said. RELATED: After listening to Indigenous peoples, pope gives comprehensive apology The first question addressed to the pope on the plane returning to Rome was from an Indigenous reporter for CBC Radio, Jessica Ka’nhehsíio Deer. At that time, Christians believed that those who were not baptized could not go to heaven. Some Indigenous leaders wanted the pope to denounce the Doctrine of Discovery, a 15 th-century theory enshrined in the papal bull, “ Inter Caetera,” that allowed Christian nations to conquer and colonize “barbarous” nations in order to convert them to Christianity. Many, however, regretted that it took so long for the pope to apologize, and some wanted him to say more. People from the First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities who listened to the pope’s apologies responded for the most part positively. It wasn’t until the news conference on the plane back to Rome that it became clear he wasn’t properly briefed for his visit.įrancis, in Canada on what he called a penitential pilgrimage, apologized to the Indigenous peoples of the country for the Catholic Church’s cooperation in their forced assimilation to colonizing Europeans’ culture over the centuries, especially in residential schools run by the church.
(RNS) - Pope Francis’ six-day pastoral visit to Canada was a great success.
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