US Catholic bishops offered an apology to Native Americans on Friday for the church’s role in inflicting trauma on their communities and adopted new guidelines for ministering to indigenous Catholics. The new policies, approved by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, call on church leaders to set up listening sessions with local Native leaders, incorporate Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Native Americans’
Native American tribes sue social media giants over youth suicides
Monday, April 15th, 2024
In a bid to address the alarming rates of suicide among Native American youth, two tribal nations have taken legal action against major social media companies. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles county court, targets Meta Platforms (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram), Snap Inc. (owner of Snapchat), ByteDance (parent company of TikTok), and Read more
Pope must repudiate papal decrees justifying colonisation
Monday, July 5th, 2021
US Bishop Douglas Lucia wants Pope Francis to repudiate a series of papal decrees justifying European countries seeking to colonize other nations. He says papal decrees – called bulls – supporting the “Doctrine of Discovery” (the Doctrine) provided justification for “both political and personal violence against indigenous peoples.” He wants “a public acknowledgment from the Read more
Pope declares controversial Junipero Serra a saint
Friday, September 25th, 2015
Pope Francis has declared controversial Franciscan missionary Junipero Serra a saint, in a move which has drawn criticism from Native Americans. At a Mass outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, on September 23, Serra became the first saint canonised on US soil. The Pope praised Serra’s treatment Read more
Native Americans oppose Junipero Serra canonisation
Friday, April 24th, 2015
Native Americans are voicing their opposition to the canonisation of Blessed Junipero Serra, which the Pope plans to do on September 23. A Spanish Franciscan, Blessed Serra introduced Christianity to much of California as he marched north with Spanish conquistadors in the 18th century. Many Native Americans, though, say Blessed Serra and other missionaries helped Read more