This Thursday’s demonstration by a group of indigenous people who unfurled a banner during the pope’s mass at the Sainte-Anne de Beaupré church in Quebec, asking him to distance himself from the so-called “doctrine of discovery staged the opinion of some representatives of indigenous peoples who wanted something more about Francisco’s apology.

Representatives of indigenous peoples – First Nations, Métis and Inuit – expressed their satisfaction and emotion when the pope asked them in Maskwacis, Edmonton, “humbly” to forgive them for the responsibilities of the Church in these residential schools created for ” process of assimilation” and in which almost 150,000 indigenous children suffered all kinds of abuse, thousands of them died of mistreatment and disease.

But many of them agreed that the request for forgiveness was a starting point and not an end point in the process of reconciliation with the Church and that much remained to be done regarding the requests of the original peoples.

However, some groups of these indigenous peoples, scattered across the vast Canadian territory that the pope will not visit, were not satisfied with his apology and expected something more.

Before mass, a group of natives unfurled a banner asking the pope in French to “abrogate the Doctrine,” in reference to the so-called “Doctrine of Discovery,” a series of fourteenth-century papal bulls by which colonization and the appropriation of land were blessed.

Security inside the temple removed the banner with no problem, but the small group of natives hung it outside the shrine in front of the thousands of worshipers who gathered to watch Francisco’s mass.

Prior to his arrival in Canada, members of the Canadian Assembly of First Nations (AFN) had called on the pope to revoke the so-called papal bulls, known as the Doctrine of Discovery, used by settlers in America and of Africa for “in the name of God” justifies the confiscation of land from indigenous peoples.

In particular, two papal bulls issued in 1455 and 1493 by Popes Nicolas V and Alexander VI gave the blessing to the appropriation of land which they declared “terra nullius” (no man’s land) and which, according to the Permanent Forum of the United Nations for Indigenous Issues, “remain in force”.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES EXPECT MORE

But the natives’ demands go further.

Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, in a statement following the pope’s apology, said “it was awesome to hear those words for all the people who needed to hear them” and thinks “it’s were sincere apologies”.

But he added that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission had called on the pope to apologize to residential school victims, their families and communities for the role of the Catholic Church in “the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical and children’s troubles.” First Nations”. in Catholic boarding schools.

“We didn’t hear about sexual abuse in the apology. It was a little surprising that we didn’t hear about the doctrine of discovery either,” he said.

“Apologizing and acknowledging the damage done is just one of many steps that need to be taken. There is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

Like many other indigenous peoples, they now expect the Church to “return all objects and documents to the first peoples (some in the Vatican Museums) and open the archives, because they contain answers that will reveal more truths”.

On the other hand, the Minister of Indigenous Relations of the Crown, Mark Miller, assured in an interview for “The Canadian Press” that the “gaps” in the Pope’s apology cannot be ignored.

Although he assured that “it was a moving moment” and “that the natives will decide for themselves what they think”, he expressed concern that Francis “did not mention sexual abuse in his comments” and only mentioned “the evil committed by Christians, but not by the Catholic Church as an institution”.

In an interview with Canadian broadcaster CBC, Evelyn Korkmaz, a First Nations survivor of the Fort Albany residential school and founding member of Church Advocates for Church Victims in Canada, said the pope’s remarks provoked “mixed emotions”.

“There was no mention in his apology of the release of desperately needed documents across Canada. These documents contain our history…they belong here in Canada, they belong to us,” he said.

He added: “I’m glad I lived long enough to witness his apology, but I want more because 50 years is too long to wait for an apology.”