The Doctrine of Discovery is making headlines, especially in Canada. Numerous individuals and groups want it gone. The Doctrine is a collection of papal teachings beginning in the 14th century. The teachings (called papal bulls) blessed explorers’ efforts to colonise and claim the lands of any people who were not Christian. The explorers would then Read more
Pope Francis has arrived in Canada on what he calls a “penitential” trip. The Vatican says the trip’s theme is “walking together”. Francis hopes to reconcile with Canada’s indigenous people for the abuse indigenous children suffered at mostly church-run residential schools. Hundreds of possible grave sites have been found at the schools. Catholic missionaries are Read more
Survivors of Canada’s residential schools say they should decide when and where the pope comes to apologise. The apology must be given to all survivors, and some would not feel comfortable attending a traditional Catholic event, the angry survivors say. The comments from the current indigenous leaders represent a new generation that wants redress rather Read more
The Archbishop of Canterbury will hold an informal meeting with residential school survivors next month in Brantford. The Most Rev. Justin Welby, head of the Church of England and leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, is visiting Canada from April 29 to May 3 to highlight the church’s desire to pursue reconciliation with indigenous people. Read more
Like walking through the snow and seeing fresh moose tracks. This is National Chief, Gerald Antoine’s description of Pope Francis’ apology for the part the Catholic Church played in Canada’s residential school system. “That is the feeling that I have, because there is a possibility,” he said moments after the apology. “Today is a day Read more
Anitalia Pijachi, (pictured) an indigenous woman from the Amazonian town of Leticia, Colombia, came to the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon bringing a message from the elders of her people to Pope Francis, an elder of the Catholic Church. The first Europeans to arrive in the Amazon were “invaders,” she said. “They never asked Read more
A flag carried by 1998 Hikoi of Hope marchers now hangs in the office of the Episcopalian bishop of the diocese of North Dakota in the USA. Bishop Michael Smith holds it up as a symbol of progress made by Maori and as an emblem of the partnerships formed between Anglicans in Aotearoa and Episcopalians in Read more
Last month a small delegation of New Zealand Anglicans attended the biennial Anglican Indigenous Network (AIN) conference which was held in New York. Before the Conference, the delegation met with former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who is now the Head of the United Nations Development Programme. The delegation also met with New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to Read more
Pressure is growing on Rome to explicitly reject a series of 15th century papal bulls and decrees that justified the colonisation of indigenous peoples. The Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the United States is calling on Pope Francis to clarify and repudiate any remaining legal status of what is known as the “Doctrine of Read more