They claimed that the “Doctrine of Discovery”, which occupied indigenous lands in the Americas and Africa, was never Catholic. Six centuries later, the Church apologized.
He Vaticanheadquarters of the roman catholic church and home of Dad, affirmed today that the “Doctrine of discovery” was never Catholic. This system consisted of a series of documents or papal bulls that, in the XV centurygave the blessing of the Church for occupy indigenous lands in America and Africa.
At the same time, he lamented the “evil acts” committed by Christians against these populations and made his request for “forgiveness” official. “Thanks to the help of the indigenous peoples, the Church became more aware of their suffering, past and present, caused by the expropriation of their lands,” and “the forced assimilation policies promoted by the government authorities of the time, who sought to eliminate their indigenous cultures,” the official statement added.
According to some scholars, this “doctrine” found its foundation in various papal documents, in particular the Bulls of Nicholas V “various dum” (1452) and “Romanus Pontifex” (1455), and in that of Alexander VI “Inter Caetera” (1493). In these acts, the two Pontiffs authorized the Portuguese and Spanish sovereigns to seize the properties in the colonized lands, subjecting the original populations.
“Historical research clearly demonstrates that the papal documents in question, written in a specific historical period and related to political issues, have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith,” the letter added. In this context, they added that, “at the same time, the Church recognizes that these papal bulls did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples.”
“The Church is also aware of the fact that the content of these documents has been manipulated for political purposes by competing colonial powers, to justify immoral acts against indigenous populations, sometimes carried out without opposition from ecclesiastical authorities,” it was reported.
“It is fair to acknowledge these mistakes, to acknowledge the terrible effects of assimilation policies and the pain experienced by indigenous populations, as well as to ask for forgiveness,” the note added.
Source: Ambito
