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On Pope Francis' Apology to Indigenous People
10 years ago
I had been a little reluctant to post about it for two reasons: One is that my emotions on this have not yet settled and so I have yet to really solidify what I think about this. I am allowed to change my mind depending on what I feel after emotions settle and after I see whether or not it is followed up by action. Additionally I'm still traveling so I don't want to weigh my mind on it too much. The second reason is, I don't feel like dealing with trolling from certain people who could potentially come and pour salt on my wounds like has been done before. Here however are my initial reactions.
This apology is a big step in the right direction, and it changes the conversation a lot now. We can finally begin to have some dialogue towards healing, and though it will take a lot of time and work, all journeys begin with the first step. I can't imagine how many people that speech bothered, especially those Catholics who held firm that the ends justified the means and that the participation in genocide was a price worth paying for bringing their religion. Yes I have personally had people tell me that, and it is an extremely painful thing to hear when my family was affected by it. Pope Francis has given a voice of reconciliation that had been needed for a long time.
What happens now though? Things are unfortunately not all love and flowers. There is still another thorn on the side (among possibly others as well) that needs to be removed, and it is a non-negotiable. Pope Francis can not canonize Junipero Serra as a saint. To do so would be to pour salt on wounds many Native peoples in California still carry, as well as remind us that, in fact, to most, bringing the Catholic Church to the Americas was important enough to justify all that was done to us, especially in most recent history: all the children who were severely tortured and died in the Catholic boarding schools. An apology isn't going to make all of these things go away; but let me reiterate that an apology is a great step in the direction of making things right and this is why it is a big deal; but there has to be consistency. The canonization of Junipero Serra has to cease. To do that would be a massive step backwards in healing.
So now one might ask, what are the next steps for healing now that this apology has taken place? I don't have all the answers. The apology itself has made me feel many emotions as someone who's family and ancestors were affected by the acts committed against us. What I hope is that from here, individual communities can meet with local Catholic leaders and begin some dialogue. The dialogue has to include voices of people who were directly affected by it (and many are still living today). Then there needs to be a discussion about how to make things right again, and once again I don't know what all those things are. I myself am just one person who has been caught in the middle of this issue. There has to be understanding that we as Native people are not going to start all trusting religions overnight, and have to accept that many might never do so again. I myself don't know how I am going to come out of this and how I will feel at the end. I am also at odds with this religion not only on this front but also because of my gender and sexuality and that is not going to go away. This has to be approached delicately in consideration of those experiencing trauma. I want to say that this is going to make healing begin as I said, but I have to insist that the canonization of Junipero Serra can't happen. It would sabotage all that Pope Francis has done here by apologizing. Especially after the good this brings for the future.
I hate to end the journal this way but here are some rules for commenting:
-Please keep it civil
-Please don't tell me or us Native people to just "get over it"
-Please don't tell me how I need to feel or what I need to do
-Please don't pretend you know how to fix an issue that is centuries old, you don't.
Thank you
This apology is a big step in the right direction, and it changes the conversation a lot now. We can finally begin to have some dialogue towards healing, and though it will take a lot of time and work, all journeys begin with the first step. I can't imagine how many people that speech bothered, especially those Catholics who held firm that the ends justified the means and that the participation in genocide was a price worth paying for bringing their religion. Yes I have personally had people tell me that, and it is an extremely painful thing to hear when my family was affected by it. Pope Francis has given a voice of reconciliation that had been needed for a long time.
What happens now though? Things are unfortunately not all love and flowers. There is still another thorn on the side (among possibly others as well) that needs to be removed, and it is a non-negotiable. Pope Francis can not canonize Junipero Serra as a saint. To do so would be to pour salt on wounds many Native peoples in California still carry, as well as remind us that, in fact, to most, bringing the Catholic Church to the Americas was important enough to justify all that was done to us, especially in most recent history: all the children who were severely tortured and died in the Catholic boarding schools. An apology isn't going to make all of these things go away; but let me reiterate that an apology is a great step in the direction of making things right and this is why it is a big deal; but there has to be consistency. The canonization of Junipero Serra has to cease. To do that would be a massive step backwards in healing.
So now one might ask, what are the next steps for healing now that this apology has taken place? I don't have all the answers. The apology itself has made me feel many emotions as someone who's family and ancestors were affected by the acts committed against us. What I hope is that from here, individual communities can meet with local Catholic leaders and begin some dialogue. The dialogue has to include voices of people who were directly affected by it (and many are still living today). Then there needs to be a discussion about how to make things right again, and once again I don't know what all those things are. I myself am just one person who has been caught in the middle of this issue. There has to be understanding that we as Native people are not going to start all trusting religions overnight, and have to accept that many might never do so again. I myself don't know how I am going to come out of this and how I will feel at the end. I am also at odds with this religion not only on this front but also because of my gender and sexuality and that is not going to go away. This has to be approached delicately in consideration of those experiencing trauma. I want to say that this is going to make healing begin as I said, but I have to insist that the canonization of Junipero Serra can't happen. It would sabotage all that Pope Francis has done here by apologizing. Especially after the good this brings for the future.
I hate to end the journal this way but here are some rules for commenting:
-Please keep it civil
-Please don't tell me or us Native people to just "get over it"
-Please don't tell me how I need to feel or what I need to do
-Please don't pretend you know how to fix an issue that is centuries old, you don't.
Thank you
What I wonder is if Pope Francis is fully aware of the whole story behind Serra and if that has been brought to his attention since his beatification.
Romanus Pontifex, Inter Caetera, Eximiae Devotionis, Dudum Siquidem, Veritas Ipsa, Unigenitus Deus, Pastorale Officium, Sublimis Deus, Non Indecens Videtur.
Given their track record over the past couple thousand years, I remain a wee bit cautious and skeptical as to the true motives or sincerity in the whole issue. Only time will tell if it's just a bunch of PR lip-service or not.
*BOOM*