All you need to know about the Discovery doctrine, and why does the Vatican repudiate it for all these years.
The Discovery doctrine was first introduced as European explorers started discovering and conquering non-European regions in the 15th century. It was a legal theory that served as justification for colonizing areas that were already inhabited by indigenous people. The Doctrine’s central tenet was that European explorers had the right to claim whatever territory they “found” as their own, whether or not other people previously inhabited it.
Based on the notion that European Christians had a divinely mandated duty to “find” and populate new territories, and that the lands they discovered were “empty” until they were claimed by Europeans, this privilege was established. A number of papal bulls published by the Catholic Church in the 15th century were the first to explicitly state the Discovery doctrine.
The most well-known of these bulls was the Inter Caetera bull, which Pope Alexander VI issued in 1493 and gave Spain permission to conquer and claim regions in the Americas that were not previously inhabited by Christians. Later, this bull was maintained by several European courts and academics of law, who utilized it to support the colonization of areas all over the globe.
The history of the Americas and other regions of the globe that were colonized by European powers was significantly influenced by the Discovery doctrine. It was used as justification for taking land and resources from native populations, as well as forcibly converting and enslaving those populations. The displacement, marginalization, and persecution of indigenous peoples—whose cultures and traditions European colonization often destroyed or repressed—was also facilitated by it.
The Discovery doctrine has faced a growing amount of scrutiny and criticism in recent years. The Doctrine, according to indigenous peoples and those who support them, is unfair and repressive, and it has fueled continuous conflicts over land rights, national sovereignty, and cultural preservation. The Vatican has also been linked to the legacy of the Discovery doctrine since it had a significant role in the colonization of the Americas.
The Vatican has taken action to reject the Discovery doctrine and work toward peace with native peoples in response to this critique. A new strategy for interactions with indigenous peoples was demanded in a statement released in 2015 by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace of the Vatican. The declaration advocated for “the acknowledgment and safeguarding of the rights, customs, and traditions of indigenous peoples” while acknowledging the “sad past” of colonization.
The rights of indigenous peoples, especially those to territory, resources, and self-determination, should be “effectively recognized,” according to a declaration made by Pope Francis the following year. The declaration was seen as an important step towards the Catholic Church and indigenous tribes’ reconciliation as well as a denial of the Doctrine of Discovery as a foundation for intercultural interactions.
Demands for public rejection of the papal bulls were made in response to Pope Francis’ 2022 visit to Canada when he made an apology to Indigenous peoples for the residential school system that forcefully abducted Native children from their families.
On July 29, two Native American women unfurled a banner that said “Rescind the Doctrine” in bold red and black lettering before the altar of the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. The Mass went ahead without incident after the protestors were led away, but the ladies subsequently carried the banner outside of the basilica and hung it from the railing.
The Vatican said in the statement: “In no uncertain terms, the church’s magisterium upholds the respect due to every human being. The Catholic Church therefore repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of Indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political ‘doctrine of discovery.”
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