by Michael Erskine
ROME—The Doctrine of Discovery has been a sore point between Indigenous peoples across the globe, standing as the basis for colonial settlement during European expansion across the globe. The doctrine was the focus of Indigenous protests calling for repudiation of the doctrine during a mass celebrated in Quebec last summer by Pope Francis. On Thursday, the Pope heeded those calls.
The Doctrine of Discovery was a declaration and legal concept based on 15th-century papal bulls (that is, official declarations made by a pope) authorizing Christian explorers to claim, “terra nullius” (Latin for vacant lands), citing racial and religious superiority.
Indigenous leaders have long called the doctrine a racist and harmful doctrine, noting quite correctly that the lands in question were not, in fact, terra nullis, but rather the homes and territories of the Indigenous peoples who lived upon those lands.
In repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery, the Vatican declared that the Doctrine of Discovery “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights” of Indigenous peoples.
The announcement is seen as largely symbolic, despite providing much of the foundational law in Canada and the US.
Reactions to the announcement will be the subject of an indepth story in next week’s edition of The Expositor.
