The “Doctrine of Discovery” is the leveraging of the idea of discovery to argue for and put into law a claim on and right to indigenous lands. It has no current and actively sustained legal connection.
Indigenous groups have pressured Catholic leaders to denounce a series of papal bulls dating back to the 15th century that granted the monarchs of Portugal and Spain the right to colonize non-Christian lands.
Chileans will get to vote on Sunday as to whether or not to adopt a new constitution. Chilean Catholics face a document that supports some Catholic ideas of equality and community yet also codifies abortion and euthanasia.
Gerry Desnomie, 74, suffered verbal, emotional and sexual abuse in a church-run residential school. He welcomed the pope’s apology in Canada—but says three points were missing.
“It was therefore a penitential pilgrimage,” Pope Francis said at today’s general audience. “There were many joyful moments, but the overall meaning and tone was reflection, repentance and reconciliation.”