The next pope will inherit Pope Francis’ mixed legacy with Indigenous people

By PETER SMITH Whoever succeeds Pope Francis will inherit his momentous and controversial legacy of relations with Indigenous people throughout the Americas Related Articles What is a conclave What to know about the secretive process to elect the next pope White House slams Amazon over hostile and political act by listing tariff surcharge Disgraced Cardinal Becciu formally withdraws from participation in conclave to elect pope Spain and Portugal focus on the cause of the huge blackout after power is almost fully restored In current times in History April Los Angeles riots after Rodney King verdict Several detected Francis to be a reconciling figure others a disappointment Even those who applauded the actions he took during his -year papacy revealed they were just a beginning and that his successor will need to continue to work toward healing Francis who died April at age issued a historic apology for the catastrophic legacy of residential schools in Canada and oversaw the repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery the collective name given to a series of th-century papal decrees that legitimized colonial-era seizure of Native lands But particular Indigenous leaders criticized him as slow to fully recognize the traumatic impact of Catholic missionary efforts and for canonizing Junipero Serra the th-century missionary accused of mistreating Native people in present-day California Even Francis admirers says his work is unfinished It s years of trauma It s going to take us a bit of time to recover explained Wilton Littlechild a residential school survivor and former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations in Canada He put us on a real strong path to reconciliation but it can t stop Perhaps the largest part dramatic of Francis encounters with the Indigenous population occurred on a July day in in Maskwacis a small town in the Canadian province of Alberta and the hub of four Cree nations There Pope Francis paid respects at a cemetery near a former residential school for Indigenous children He then delivered a long-sought apology for Catholic complicity in the th- and th-century residential school system for the First Nations Metis and Inuit people of Canada I am deeply sorry sorry for the strategies in which regrettably multiple Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the Indigenous peoples Francis stated The Rev Cristino Bouvette recalled being unexpectedly emotional at that moment Bouvette an Alberta priest of Cree and Metis heritage who was liturgical coordinator for the pope s Canada visit recalled hearing the applause and seeing particular onlookers weeping Bouvette mentioned his late grandmother had attended a residential school and never felt the pope needed to apologize but he too began to weep My thoughts instantly turned to my grandmother he disclosed I think she would have been deeply touched had she been alive to hear those words herself despite her not thinking it needed to happen The first pope from the Americas also offered an apology in Bolivia for Catholic complicity in colonialism and he supported the use of Indigenous languages and customs at Catholic liturgies in Mexico Francis was a human being who tried to love and respect and honor people advocating for the poor and movers declared Valentin Lopez chairperson of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band in California But regarding the Native Americans specifically there s a number of negative items that were pretty much totally ignored by the pope and for that we re disappointed FILE Pope Francis hugs a man in San Cristobal de las Casas Mexico Feb L Osservatore Romano Pool Photo via AP File FILE People protest as Pope Francis meets young people and elders at Nakasuk Elementary School Square in Iqaluit Canada July AP Photo Gregorio Borgia File FILE People listen to Pope Francis issue a historic apology for the Catholic Church s cooperation with Canada s catastrophic plan of Indigenous residential schools in Maskwacis near Edmonton Canada July AP Photo Ted Shaffrey File Show Caption of FILE Pope Francis hugs a man in San Cristobal de las Casas Mexico Feb L Osservatore Romano Pool Photo via AP File Expand Kenneth Deer a Mohawk activist from Canada who was part of a Native delegation that urged Francis in to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery saw Francis as very progressive and he could have been more progressive if the Vatican wouldn t hold him back Deer noted that while the church was unwilling to state that the residential schools were an act of genocide Francis was willing to say that in personal remarks That s who you want to listen to the unscripted Pope Francis Deer revealed Francis successor will need to continue working continue to evolve announced Deer You have to change Mixed messages Particular activists disclosed that was a matter Visiting Bolivia in July Francis solicited forgiveness not only for the offenses of the church herself but also for crimes committed against the Native peoples during the so-called conquest of America Later that year in his only U S visit Francis officially declared Serra to be a saint A multitude of Native activists lambasted the canonization calling the missionary priest a prime culprit in what Francis had just apologized for in Bolivia complicity with destructive colonization Serra founded California s historic missions where thousands of Native Americans were converted But particular were also whipped for misbehaving or trying to flee The missions became centers for horrific disorder outbreaks with mass fatalities Saintly people are supposed to live lives that we are supposed to emulate Lopez announced How can those actions be considered saintly Lopez whose Amah Mutsun Tribal Band includes descendants of those who lived in the spheres of influence of two California missions had written multiple times to Pope Francis unsuccessfully urging him to cancel the canonization Defenders of Serra s canonization announced he wasn t perfect but had exemplary qualities Francis contended that Serra indeed defended the dignity of the Native group from the threat of worse therapy by secular Spanish colonial functionaries Historic Canada trip In Francis addressed the Catholic Church s operation of residential schools which shattered Indigenous children s ties to family and values in the th and th centuries Canada s National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation documented more than child deaths at residential schools and selected experts believe the number is much higher Della Lizotte whose parents attended a residential school welcomed Francis apology For me it felt genuine disclosed Lizotte an elder in Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton Alberta which the pope also visited I just wish it had been sooner because my parents had already passed away and they would have really appreciated hearing that The event sparked dispute when Littlechild presented Pope Francis with a ceremonial headdress Historically the headdress has been a symbol of respect worn by Native American war chiefs and warriors Specific Native commentators revealed the image jarring Littlechild stated the pope s apology enabled him to forgive the church for his own experiences during years in a residential school When I gave him the headdress as a gift from our people I communicated him I forgive for what happened to me as a child he disclosed And multiple people have explained me since then that it was a new journey for them to heal from the traumas Doctrine of Discovery In the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery which legitimized colonial-era seizure of Native lands by Spain and Portugal The concept forms the basis of certain property laws in the present day in the United States The Vatican declared the related decrees or papal bulls did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of Indigenous peoples and have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith Fernie Marty an elder in Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples a parish that uses Native language and customs explained the action exhibited the pope was moving from words to deeds what Marty called reconcili-action I thought wow this is another proof that he s on the right track he noted But Lopez announced Francis didn t go far enough by not rescinding the papal bulls To Lopez that means they re still technically on the books Not only do Native people have historical traumas Lopez revealed but the church itself demands healing from the soul wound of this legacy But it has to fully make amends he declared We have trouble with the papal bulls we have trouble with Junipero Serra we have trouble with Pope Francis not wanting to listen to or ignoring this devastating history and impact on Indigenous people he announced AP writer Graham Lee Brewer contributed from New York Associated Press religion coverage receives sponsorship through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The 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