'A humongous symbolic victory': Indigenous people react to Vatican rejection of Discovery Doctrine
Last summer in Maskwacis, Alta., Pope Francis formally apologized for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential school system.
At the time, as he made his way across Canada, there were also calls for him to repudiate the "Doctrine of Discovery," which are theories backed by 15th-century "papal bulls" used in an attempt to legitimize the colonial-era seizure of Native lands.
In July in Quebec, Indigenous protesters unfurled a large banner calling for Pope Francis to rescind the doctrine. And it was also an ask in the Truth and Reconciliation report eight years ago.
On Thursday, the Vatican formally rejected the "Doctrine of Discovery," stating it "did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples."
"It's historic. It's a humongous symbolic victory, I think, for Indigenous peoples who have pushed for this," said Dr. Matthew Wildcat, a member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation and an assistant professor at the University of Alberta.
"It is hard to put a finger on what the actual effect will be."
The head of the Indigenous Reconciliation Group believes the Pope's journey through Canada likely played a role in Thursday's development.
"This may be as close as it gets to [an] apology, but I also think there's probably some serious resistance in the Vatican, which might be a worry," said CEO Rose Lemay, from the Taku River Tlingit First Nation.
"This is a difficult learning journey when one has been told through the centuries… 'We're doing the right thing.' It takes a while to come around to the fact that, actually, no this was not a good thing. There was nothing good about it."
The statement from the Vatican asked for forgiveness, but also suggested the doctrine has been misunderstood.
It said the documents had been "manipulated" for political purposes by colonial powers "to justify immoral acts against Indigenous peoples that were carried out, at times, without opposition from ecclesial authorities."
The statement, from the Vatican's development and education offices, said it was right to "recognize these errors" and acknowledge the terrible effects of colonial-era assimilation policies on Indigenous people.
“Never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others, or that it is legitimate to employ ways of coercing others,” Pope Francis is quoted in the statement.
'BORN OUT OF GREED AND ARROGANCE'
The development came as a shock to many, so Wildcat was not the only one Thursday absorbing the news and wondering what comes next.
"Maybe it's a step, but we don't know how that step is going to be looked at. Is it a big step? Is it a small step? Again, it's about the action not just the words," said Lloyd Yellowbird with Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society in Edmonton.
A statement from the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations said the Vatican's repudiation was "welcome" but "we are taking time to fully understand the implications of this decision."
Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, who walked beside the Pope along the shores of Lac Ste. Anne in July, said the doctrine was "born out of greed and arrogance of European powers."
"The cruel legacy of this doctrine persists. Governments and monarchies continue to wield it as a weapon, infringing upon our sovereignty, exploiting our resources, and denying us our rightful place as equal partners in shaping the future," he wrote on Thursday.
Archbishop Richard W. Smith of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton said he was "very, very pleased" to read the statement from the Vatican.
He believes the Pope listened during his visit to Canada and hopes Thursday's development leads to healing and a "deeping of the relationship" between the church and Indigenous people.
"It repudiates any concepts that are associated with it, like cultural superiority or colonial mindset, because the church finds those abhorrent," he told CTV News Edmonton.
"This is exactly what we need to hear right now. This is what Indigenous peoples have been asking for. And I'm very hopeful that this now will be one more step that will enable us to continue walking together in a good way."
With files from The Associated Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
BREAKING Mounties will not be charged in shooting death of B.C. Indigenous man
Three Mounties in British Columbia will not face charges in the killing of a 38-year-old Indigenous man on Vancouver Island in 2021.
Canada's favourite sport to watch is hockey, survey shows
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs have already delivered a fever level of fan excitement in Canada.
Douglas DC-4 plane with 2 people on board crashes into river outside Fairbanks, Alaska
A Douglas C-54 Skymaster airplane crashed into the Tanana River near Fairbanks on Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
“It's just so hard to let it go. I mean, everyone is telling me, ‘you have to move on,’ but I know someone is not here [anymore]. So I don't know how I will move on." That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.