The Vatican published, Thursday, March 30, a document aimed at distancing itself from the colonial excesses of the Catholic Church. The Holy See "rejects" the papal edicts of the fifteenth century authorizing...

Vatican condemns Church's colonial excesses

Pope Francis during his visit to Canada in July 2022. AP - John Locher

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The Vatican published, Thursday, March 30, a document aimed at distancing itself from the colonial excesses of the Catholic Church. The Holy See "rejects" the papal edicts of the fifteenth century authorizing the enslavement of indigenous peoples, mainly in America.

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This position of the Vatican refers to the campaigns of forced conversions carried out by the Catholic Church after the arrival of Europeans on the American continent, in the wake of Christopher Columbus' expedition in 1492.

The document resonated particularly with Canada, where between the late nineteenth century and the 1990s, some 150,000 Indigenous children were removed from their families and forcibly conscripted into residential schools, often run by the Catholic Church. These children were cut off from their families, language and culture. The pope has since acknowledged that this tragedy of the boarding schools amounts to genocide.

This rejection of papal edicts, "it's huge," responded to AFP the Canadian Indigenous senator Michèle Audette. "For many of us, we've been asking for it for decades," she added. Already during Pope Francis' visit to Canada in July 2022, Indigenous associations had asked him to repeal the papal "bulls" – official documents signed by the pope – at the origin of the "doctrine of discovery", which allowed European powers to colonize non-Christian lands and peoples.

"The Last Chapter of the Time of Words"

This doctrine was used again in 2005 in the United States to justify the seizure of indigenous territories in a Supreme Court judgment. This "concerns all indigenous peoples of the world," said Jean-François Roussel, a professor at the Institute of Religious Studies at the University of Montreal. "This is probably the last chapter of the time of words. Now it is necessary that the acts follow, "added the expert, referring to the question of financial compensation, support projects or cultural revitalization already existing but which must be strengthened.

In the note published on Thursday, March 30, the Vatican refers to three papal "bulls" issued in the fifteenth century by Popes Nicholas V and Alexander VI. The Holy See considers that these are "political documents, instrumentalized for immoral acts", and considers that they "have never been considered as expressions of the Catholic faith". They "did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples." This Vatican document acknowledges that "many Christians have committed malicious acts against indigenous peoples, for which recent popes have repeatedly asked for forgiveness."

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said it was "grateful" to the Holy See. Asked about this painful subject on the plane on his return from Canada, the Argentine pope had judged this "doctrine of colonization" "bad" and "unjust".

This mentality that we are superior and the natives do not count is serious. For this, we must work in this direction. Go back and clean up everything that was done wrong, but with the awareness that today too there is the same colonialism," Pope Francis added.

► Read also: Pope's visit to South Sudan: "The Christian Churches have always worked together"

Vatican condemns Church's colonial excesses

Vatican condemns Church's colonial excesses

"The Last Chapter of the Time of Words"

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