Holy disaster: Pope alienates indigenous peoples
by: Editors Report / Indian Country Today
''Arrogant.'' ''Disrespectful.'' ''Poorly advised.'' These harsh words were not aimed at an unpopular president; not this time. They are the criticisms by Indian leaders in Latin America of Pope Benedict XVI, who again made headlines for culturally insensitive and historically inaccurate remarks.
About this time last year the pope stirred international controversy when he characterizing the Prophet Mohammed as having spread Islam by the sword in an ''evil and inhuman'' manner. On May 15 he declared that the Roman Catholic Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Pope Benedict continues to stir up controversy wherever in the world he lands. But this particular papal idiom cannot be attributed to or excused as simple ignorance. There is an element of intent in the pope's recent remarks that should anger, and mobilize, indigenous people throughout the world.
In a speech at the Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopate, the pope characterized pre-contact Indians as ''silently longing'' for Christianity and stated that ''the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it the imposition of a foreign culture.'' It may be the most blatantly erroneous statement about the Christian legacy on indigenous cultures ever uttered.
Not only did the pope's comments exhibit an ever-increasing general arrogance that aims to deny the rights of indigenous peoples around the world but, in this rare case, they came straight from the source. Millions of tribal people died as a result of the institution of the 15th century Inter Caetera papal bulls that provided legal justification for European colonization of the Native people of the Americas (including Brazil where Benedict spoke) and Africa. Then, Indians were slaughtered, enslaved or exposed to deadly diseases. Now, Native survivors of Christian colonization efforts suffer its traumatic generational effects: a diminished ability to relate to and practice traditional life ways, social exclusion and learned sexual abuse. If this does not qualify as an ''imposition'' on the culture of indigenous peoples, what does?
Last year's controversy was sparked by the pope's suggestion at the University of Regensburg in Germany that Islam was spread through violence and that it was ''contrary to God's plan.'' It seemed fair at the time to give him the benefit of the doubt for misspeaking. ''He could clarify that the inherent rationality to which he referred ... is a property of all humanity, not solely of Europeans,'' we stated. ''We have no doubt that this was the true intent of his remarkable lecture. But if he is through apologizing to Muslims, perhaps he could now explain himself to the indigenous peoples of the world.'' It is certain that our charitable view of that situation did not serve the legions of indigenous people who are now offended by suggestions that cultural decimation is considered ''purification'' by the Church and its most revered leader.
The Vatican has for years largely ignored the valid request by indigenous peoples and their representatives to rescind the papal bulls and the ''doctrine of discovery'' they inspired. And just days before his visit to Brazil, the country's Indians appealed to Pope Benedict to express solidarity with them and acknowledge their struggle against the government's encroachment upon their territories. They referred to a ''process of genocide,'' which no doubt began with the arrival of European Christian crusaders. It is agreed then that the pope is fully aware of the indigenous position on the lasting legacy of Christianity as a colonizing force. Ignorance is no excuse. The comments were more an indication that the Church's knowledge of indigenous cultures has not evolved much since the days when Natives were thought by Catholic monarchs to be heathens empty of a guiding spiritual force, in need of enlightenment.
It may be futile to demand an apology from the Church's highest leader, but it is imperative that the indigenous voices continue to rise in protest after the controversy dies down. The public display of outrage (and credible threats of violence) by the Muslim world last year garnered a mea culpa by the pope, who said he was ''deeply sorry.'' It is now time the Vatican, as a religious authority and political nation-state, acknowledges the cost of Christianity on the indigenous people of the world. Perhaps a statement from Pope Benedict recognizing the inherent sovereignty of Indian tribal peoples as reiteration of this theological tradition would be a good, first step toward making amends.
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Pope acknowledges colonial injustice in Americas
By Phil Stewart
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, under fire in Latin America for saying the Catholic Church had purified Indians, acknowledged on Wednesday that "unjustifiable crimes" were committed during the colonisation of the Americas.
But he stopped short of apologising as demanded by some leaders, including Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez.
Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican to lead his weekly general audience May 23, 2007. Pope Benedict, under fire in Latin America for saying the Catholic Church had purified Indians, acknowledged on Wednesday that "unjustifiable crimes" were committed during the colonisation of the Americas. (REUTERS/Max Rossi)
"The memories of a glorious past cannot ignore the shadows that accompanied the process of evangelisation of the Latin American continent," the Pope said.
"It is, in fact, not possible to forget the suffering, injustices inflicted by the colonisers against the indigenous population, whose human and fundamental rights have often been trampled," said the Pontiff, whose spoken message in Italian was stronger than a previously released text in English.
In a speech to bishops at the end of a visit to Brazil earlier this month, the Pope said the Church had not imposed itself on the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
He said they had welcomed the arrival of European priests at the time of the conquest as they were "silently longing" for Christianity. Embracing it purified them, the Pope said.
Chavez has accused the Pope of ignoring the "holocaust" that followed Christopher Columbus's landing in the Americas in 1492. Indian leaders in Brazil have said they were offended by the Pope's "arrogant and disrespectful" comments.
Millions of tribal Indians are believed to have died as a result of European colonisation backed by the Church, through slaughter, disease or enslavement.
It was not the first time the German-born Pontiff's comments sparked controversy.
Benedict infuriated Muslims worldwide in September with a lecture that seemed to depict Islam as an irrational religion tainted with violence.
He later expressed regret at the pain his comments caused and defused tensions during a trip to Turkey, where he prayed at a mosque and called Islam a peaceful faith.
The Pope, speaking on Wednesday to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square, noted that the crimes against Indians in the Americas were at the time already denounced by missionaries.
He also said remembering those crimes should not detract from the accomplishments of Christianity in Latin America.
"Mentioning this must not prevent us from acknowledging with gratitude the marvellous work accomplished by the divine grace among these people in the course of these centuries," he said.
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Admite Papa injusticias en evangelización de América
CIUDAD EL VATICANO(AP)
El papa Benedicto XVI admitió el miércoles que la colonización y evangelización de América provocó sufrimiento e injusticias a las poblaciones indígenas.
En su la audiencia pública de los miércoles, el pontífice señaló que no se pueden ignorar los sufrimientos y las injusticias cometidas por los colonizadores a las poblaciones indígenas, cuyos derechos fueron a menudo violados.
El Papa aclaró de esta manera su intervención en Aparecida, Brasil, sobre la colonización de América, que había suscitado críticas de comunidades indígenas y de sectores políticos, en particular de los presidentes de Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, y de Bolivia, Evo Morales.
En su discurso inaugural de la Conferencia Episcopal Latinoamericana, el 13 de mayo, Benedicto XVI había dicho que la llegada del cristianismo en el continente latinoamericano no había sido una imposición de una cultura extranjera, ni había significado una alienación de las culturas precolombinas.
Expresó que el camino glorioso de la fe cristiana, que se ha hecho historia vivida de América Latina, no se puede ignorar la sombra de la obra de evangelización.
"No es posible olvidar los sufrimientos y las injusticias de los colonizadores a las poblaciones indígenas", afirmó.
El Papa recordó los derechos violados de las poblaciones locales, pero sobre esas injusticias, la Iglesia ha hecho ya una autocrítica y no se debe dejar de lado lo que Dios ha hecho en el continente latinoamericano.
El presidente venezolano le había exigido que pidiera disculpas a los pueblos indígenas por afirmar que la Iglesia había purificado a los indios.
"Como jefe de Estado le ruego a Su Santidad que se disculpe. No entiendo cómo puede afirmar que la evangelización no fue impuesta, si llegaron aquí con arcabuces y entraron a sangre, plomo y fuego", afirmó Chávez.
