I am sad to learn about Pope Francis passing onto the next world. I am not a Catholic, but I would like to send my condolences to everyone mourning today. Papa Francis was the first Pope in my lifetime to take bold positions on Indigenous Peoples and Refugees, both of which are very close to my heart. The bottom right hand picture was when Francis visited the Moria Refugee Camp (literally a month after we left).
Pope Francis also made a positive step in the right direction by exemplifying to the world that you can ask for forgiveness from Indigenous Peoples. In 2022, Pope Francis traveled to Canada to meet with our First Nations Peoples up north. Pope Francis acknowledged the trauma that the Catholic Church was responsible for re: Indian Boarding Schools and assimilation policies. He also rescinded the Doctrine Of Christian Discovery, which is a 1493 Papal Bull that was cited in Supreme Court decisions that codified the stealing of Indigenous Peoples Land and Resources under the guise of Christian "discovery." Hundreds of millions of acres of land in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other nations were stolen (not purchased, not acquired via treaty, literally taken without consent) by virtue of "discovery." This is still the current cornerstone of US Property Law today. Even though American can't provide a bill of sale for a lot of the Treaty Land it occupies, the Supreme Court has said it's lawful because anyone not baptized in 1492 wasn't human enough to hold land titles, which rendered this entire hemisphere empty and "free" for the taking by European Christian Monarchs.
The problem still persists (it's still federal law today) but Pope Francis revoking the Doctrine of Discovery cuts the anchor that connects these four SCOTUS decisions to their 15th Century legal precedents. The Doctrine of Discovery is still codified US Federal Law, but with enough education and information, we might be able to see this misguided law overturned. Thank you Pope Francis for your ministry and for raising awareness about this issue.
Pope Francis also made a positive step in the right direction by exemplifying to the world that you can ask for forgiveness from Indigenous Peoples. In 2022, Pope Francis traveled to Canada to meet with our First Nations Peoples up north. Pope Francis acknowledged the trauma that the Catholic Church was responsible for re: Indian Boarding Schools and assimilation policies. He also rescinded the Doctrine Of Christian Discovery, which is a 1493 Papal Bull that was cited in Supreme Court decisions that codified the stealing of Indigenous Peoples Land and Resources under the guise of Christian "discovery." Hundreds of millions of acres of land in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other nations were stolen (not purchased, not acquired via treaty, literally taken without consent) by virtue of "discovery." This is still the current cornerstone of US Property Law today. Even though American can't provide a bill of sale for a lot of the Treaty Land it occupies, the Supreme Court has said it's lawful because anyone not baptized in 1492 wasn't human enough to hold land titles, which rendered this entire hemisphere empty and "free" for the taking by European Christian Monarchs.
The problem still persists (it's still federal law today) but Pope Francis revoking the Doctrine of Discovery cuts the anchor that connects these four SCOTUS decisions to their 15th Century legal precedents. The Doctrine of Discovery is still codified US Federal Law, but with enough education and information, we might be able to see this misguided law overturned. Thank you Pope Francis for your ministry and for raising awareness about this issue.
RSS Feed