Friday,
July 10, 2015
2:27 PM
Pope Frances
Apologizes to Native American
(CNN)Pope Francis
has apologized for the "many grave sins" committed by Christians
against indigenous peoples in South America during the colonization of the
continent by Spain several centuries ago.
In a speech largely
dedicated to decrying
a "new colonialism," in which corporations and banks take the
place of colonizing nation-states, the Pope acknowledged Thursday that the
Catholic Church's history is not entirely free from transgression.
"I say this to
you with regret," Francis said during a speech to grassroots movements in
Santa Cruz, Bolivia. "Many grave sins were committed against the native
peoples of America in the name of God."
As the Pope noted,
his predecessors, including St. John Paul II, had acknowledged the church's
soiled history in South America.
"I humbly ask
forgiveness," Francis added, "not only for the offenses of the church
herself, but also for the crimes committed against the native peoples during
the so-called conquest of America."
The Pope's apology
goes further than previous pontiffs, said Andrew Chesnut, a scholar of
Catholicism and Latin America at Virginia Commonwealth University.
"Pope Francis'
apology, the fullest ever, is the most significant aspect of his trip thus
far."
Chesnut added that
it will be interesting to see whether Francis also apologizes when he visits
Cuba in September. The Jesuits were the "largest corporate slaveholders in
Brazil," where they imported slaves from the Caribbean, the scholar said.
Francis has made a
point of reaching out to native peoples during his 8-day trip through South
America, which has taken him to Ecuador and Bolivia and ends Monday in
Paraguay.
Masses have featured
chants and readings in local
languages like Guarani, and in Ecuador he urged President Rafael Correa not
to drill for oil in the Amazonian rainforest, the ancestral homeland of
Native South Americans.
The Pope's approach
seems to have earned him at least one prominent fan.
"For the first
time, I feel like I have a pope: Pope Francis," said Bolivian President
Evo Morales, who claims to have indigenous ancestry.
The president and
the prisoners
One of the key
Catholic phrases describing Pope Francis' mission and manner is "the theology of
encounter."
That's a fancy way
of saying that he tries to meet people where they're at -- and there's no
better example then visiting a prison.
On Friday morning,
the Pope went to Santa Cruz-Palmasola, the largest -- and most notorious --
prison in Bolivia. The men's facility, where the Pope met prisoners and their
families, holds about 2,800 inmates.
"I could not
leave Bolivia without seeing you," Francis told the prisoners, earning a
hearty cheer.
Francis called for
some reforms, including access to education and easing overcrowding. But
perhaps the most poignant moment occurred when the Pope got personal.
"You may be
asking yourselves, 'Who is this man standing before us?'" Francis said.
"I would like to reply to that question with something absolutely certain
about my own life: The man standing before you is a man who has been forgiven.
A man who was, and is, saved from his many sins."
After the Pope's blockbuster
speech Thursday night, it was another side of Francis showing forth: the
humble pastor who looks for lost sheep, not the fiery prophet who denounces the
pursuit of money as "the
devil's dung."
One of the most
interesting aspects of the Pope's prison visit was his
body language.
He was leaning
forward, attentive, making eye contact with the three prisoners who shared the
stage with him and delivered short speeches. It was a contrast from Thursday
night, when Francis appeared to be a bit wearied by Bolivian President Evo
Morales' very long speech.
I don't want to read
too much into this -- Morales' speech was at the end of a long day for Francis.
But it's worth noting the difference.
By the way, I've
been keeping a running log of Francis' weeklong trip to Ecuador, Bolivia and
Paraguay
Pope Frances
Apologizes to Native American
Could this mean that
he, Pope Frances, has decided not to insult our people "Native
Americans," by canonizing that butcher Junipero Serra)?
Pope calls greed
'the devil's dung'
the Pope acknowledged Thursday that the
Catholic Church's history is not entirely free from transgression.
"I say this to
you with regret," Francis said during a speech to grassroots movements in
Santa Cruz, Bolivia. "Many grave sins were committed against the native
peoples of America in the name of God."
As the Pope noted,
his predecessors, including St. John Paul II, had acknowledged the church's
soiled history in South America.
"I humbly ask
forgiveness," Francis added, "not only for the offenses of the church
herself, but also for the crimes committed against the native peoples during
the so-called conquest of America."
The Pope's apology
goes further than previous pontiffs, said Andrew Chesnut, a scholar of
Catholicism and Latin America at Virginia Commonwealth University.
(CNN)Pope Francis
has apologized for the "many grave sins" committed by Christians
against indigenous peoples in South America during the colonization of the
continent by Spain several centuries ago.
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