March 28, 2024

Vatican publishes report on colonial history

The Vatican issued a statement on Thursday on the so-called doctrine of discovery, which it said was not part of the Church’s teaching.

With “Doctrine of Discovery” — English Discovery theory – Authorities today describe Europe’s religiously inspired colonial consciousness and the legal understanding derived from it.

From this perspective, the “doctrine of discovery” justifies both the conquest of non-European communities and their exploitation or disenfranchisement and aspects of Christian missionary work.

“Some scholars have argued that the basis of the stated ‘doctrine’ can be found in several papal documents such as Dum Diversus (1452), Romanus Pontifex (1455) and Inter Cathera (1493),” the Vatican said on March 30. With March.

However, the documents of historical popes “written in a specific historical period and dealing with political questions” were “never considered expressions of the Catholic faith”.

However, at the same time, the Vatican added that “the Church recognizes that these papal bulls do not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples”.

“The Magisterium of the Church unequivocally affirms the respect due to every human being,” the statement said.

“The Catholic Church rejects views that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of indigenous peoples, including what is known as the legal and political ‘doctrine of discovery’.”

The report from Rome is not yet available in German. It is published by the Department for Promoting the Integral Development of Humanities and the Department for Culture and Education.

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It continues: “The legal concept of ‘discovery’ has been debated by colonial powers since the sixteenth century and found specific expression in the case law of the courts of many countries in the nineteenth century, according to which discovery gave settlers the exclusive right to destroy the settler’s land, the title or title of the indigenous peoples in this land by purchase or seizure.” .

Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonza, head of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, noted in a separate note that the Vatican declaration was part of a “framework of reconciliation.”

He described the art of reconciliation as “the process of committing people to listen to each other, talk to each other, and grow in mutual understanding”.

The insights underlying the declaration are the fruit of a renewed dialogue between the church and indigenous peoples, he said.

Pope Francis, who visited Canada in July 2022, apologized for the suffering caused by the Catholic Church to Canada’s indigenous peoples.

“I express my deep shame and sadness and, together with the bishops of this country, I renew my request for forgiveness for the wrongs done by many Christians to indigenous peoples,” the Pope said in a speech on July 27, 2022.

The meeting with senior government officials and representatives of indigenous peoples in Canada was part of a week-long trip during which Francis publicly apologized for the harm caused to indigenous Canadians and repeatedly expressed his shame and sorrow.