'An important step on the journey to reconciliation': Vatican rejects Doctrine of Discovery
'An important step on the journey to reconciliation': Vatican rejects Doctrine of Discovery
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation says the Vatican's rejection of a centuries-old doctrine that justified colonialism is going to change the public's perception of Canadian history.
On Thursday, the Vatican announced it was formally repudiating the "Doctrine of Discovery," which was used to legitimize the seizure of Indigenous lands during the colonial era.
"It's an important step on the journey to reconciliation," said Jennifer Wood, commemoration and community engagement liaison officer with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR).
Wood said the decision shows that Pope Francis' visit to Canada last summer to formally apologize for the Catholic Church's role in creating residential schools had a real impact on him.
"It shows that he has a lens of consciousness and that there is hope for the future. They are actually stepping up to the plate and recognizing their wrongs and correcting their wrongs," said Wood.
The Doctrine of Discovery was created by popes in the 15th century. These declarations - known as “papal bulls” –led Christian nations to invade and subjugate non‐Christian lands, claim their resources, and impose Christianity on their people.
In Canada, both French and English colonial powers used the Doctrine of Discovery to claim Indigenous lands and force their cultural and religious beliefs on Indigenous peoples through residential schools.
Wood said the rejection of the doctrine will change people's perception of Canadian history, "Especially in the school system," she said. "They weren’t taught the correct history of our people, and now I believe that’s going to all change."
Wood said the Vatican's announcement is promising. "I hope that it's going to have a rippling effect, that we're going to start walking down this road together because that’s what reconciliation is."
She said announcements like this will break the colonial mindset of Canadians.
"If those keep happening, the general larger public is going to hopefully sit back in their living room chairs and realize that this did happen to us," said Wood.
An attorney for an 11-year-old Mississippi boy who was shot by a police officer after he called 911 for help said Thursday there was 'no way' the boy could have been mistaken for an adult.
Texas' Republican-led House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday on articles including bribery and abuse of public trust, a sudden, historic rebuke of a GOP official who rose to be a star of the conservative legal movement despite years of scandal and alleged crimes.
Killer whales severely damaged a sailing boat off the coast of southern Spain, the local maritime rescue service said on Thursday, adding to dozens of orca attacks on vessels recorded so far this year on Spanish and Portuguese coasts.
It is a world wrapped in mystery - the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus, seen up close just once nearly four decades ago by a passing NASA probe and still warily guarding its secrets.
Mexican authorities say they've made an arrest in the killing of a Quebec man earlier this month in the Pacific coast beach town of Puerto Escondido. The Oaxaca state attorney general says in a statement issued Friday that an arrest warrant was executed for a man in Puerto Escondido identified only by his initials in connection with the homicide of Victor Masson.
A Prince Albert man said he can start moving on, now that the woman who attacked his 89-year-old father has been sentenced. He said because of the assault, he lost both his mother and father.
The Catholic school system in Saskatchewan has a long history and is ultimately protected by the province’s constitution. Something the courts have backed up.
Ontario Provincial Police have charged two people following reports of hitchhikers displaying aggressive behaviour along the Highway 17 East corridor in Kenora.
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley held a major rally in downtown Calgary Saturday morning, while her United Conservative rival had no public events planned this weekend after a final pitch to voters a day earlier.
Advocates are hoping the Ontario government will consider alternatives to the use of wild animals in off-leash dog areas for the purpose of tracking as officials push forward with a proposal to expand training areas in the province.
Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley held a major rally in downtown Calgary Saturday morning, while her United Conservative rival had no public events planned this weekend after a final pitch to voters a day earlier.
Quebecers are used to congestion headaches on Highway 40, but Saturday’s hold-up was nothing if not out of the ordinary: a horse broke free from its transport container and ran free in the fast lane. Marco Lelievre, a trucker, stopped his vehicle while driving through Repentigny, Que. after he saw the runaway horse.
Those planning on travelling in and around Montreal on the weekend may want to consider public transit or a bicycle to get around as there are a more than a few construction projects that will cause major road closures.
Who is Diandra D'Alessio? She's a Montrealer, a technical writer, a history lover -- and she's last night's Jeopardy winner. The self-proclaimed trivia buff made it out on top with $3,299 under her belt.
The president of the Ottawa-Gatineau Hotel Association says hotels in the area are near capacity this weekend, as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend, the Ottawa Redblacks exhibition game, the Great Glebe Garage Sale and other events attract people to Ottawa.
As more people are heading out to enjoy the city’s wilderness areas, North Vancouver RCMP issued water safety tips for those spending time at the North Shore’s rivers and lakes.
A man and a woman have been arrested and charged for last March’s murder of 41-year-old Chad Colivas of Abbotsford, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Saturday.
Everyone is experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store these days, and a new report is putting a dollar figure on how much it’s costing families, per month, to eat healthy.
British Columbia Premier David Eby has called byelections for two ridings left vacant after the resignations of the previous New Democrat premier and a former cabinet minister.
