Essay: Undoing the Christian nationalism of the Doctrine of Discovery
ANDREW WHITEHEAD, an associate professor of sociology at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis and author of the forthcoming ‘American Idolatry’, says more direct action from the Catholic Church is necessary to uproot the remnants of the doctrine…
US Lutherans launch initiative joining Indigenous-led Truth and Healing Movement
RNS The head of the country’s largest Lutheran denomination announced on Wednesday the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is launching its own Truth and Healing Movement to help its three million members better understand the “colonising impacts” the church has had on Indigenous people, both past and present. “We must be in better, right, and healthy relationships […]
Mixed feelings: Indigenous activists react to Vatican’s repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News, reports on reactions to the Vatican’s recent announcement…
The Explainer: Vatican repudiates the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’
Responding to Indigenous demands, the Vatican has formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery” – papal documents from the 15th century that legitimised the colonial-era seizure of native lands. The Associated Press provides some background facts and figures…
Responding to Indigenous, Vatican rejects Discovery Doctrine
Vatican CityAP The Vatican on Thursday responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery”, the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimised the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today. A Vatican statement said the papal bulls, or decrees, “did not adequately reflect the […]
Updated: Pope seeks forgiveness for sexual abuse at Canadian residential schools
Updated: 11:45am (AEST)Sainte-Anne-De-Beaupre, Quebec, Canada Reuters Pope Francis on Thursday asked for forgiveness for sexual abuse at Canadian schools for Indigenous children run by Catholic orders, addressing a deep wound that many survivors wanted him to acknowledge during his apology tour in Canada. Pope Francis greets the faithful before presiding over a Mass at the […]
‘Great replacement’ belief correlates with Christian nationalist views in US – survey
RNS An often repeated element of Christian nationalism – an ideology with a range of expressions and increasingly vocal supporters – is a belief in America’s divine origins. The United States, proponents insist, is meant to be a “city on a hill” which God intends as a blessing and example for the world. A new […]
Revisiting colonisation: Catholic bishop of Syracuse decries Doctrine of Discovery, suggests Pope do the same
JACK JENKINS, of Religion News Service, speaks with US Catholic Bishop Douglas J Lucia about his hopes to meet with the Vatican to discuss a series of 15th-century papal proclamations used by European Christians to rationalise the subjugation of Indigenous peoples…
In the US, Evangelical Covenant Church joins list of Protestant denominations rebuking Doctrine of Discovery
RNS The Evangelical Covenant Church became the latest Protestant denomination in the United States to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, the theological justification that allowed the discovery and domination by European Christians of lands already inhabited by Indigenous peoples. Delegates at the Covenant Annual Connection voted overwhelmingly (84 per cent) on Friday to approve a resolution acknowledging […]
THE INTERVIEW: MARK CHARLES AND SOONG-CHAN RAH SHARE ‘UNSETTLING TRUTHS’ IN NEW BOOK
EMILY MCFARLAN MILLER, of Religion News Service, talks to Navajo speaker and author MARK CHARLES and North Park University professor SOONG-CHAN RAH about their new book, ‘Unsettling Truths’…