Having been born and raised on a reservation with all the preachers and priests trying to save my soul and the souls of the American Indian, I can say, at the very least, they are persistent amongst people who are starving and need help (after the wealth had been stolen by the taking of lands not to mention murder of Indian peoples). We know the story, all the land of the Indian people were stolen by murder and mayhem; the Catholic Church, especially in California amongst the Mission Indians. Here is a remark by the Pope at the time all this was going on. "No informed person would endeavor to maintain that the churchmen were always in the right, but by the same token no one can deny that they were generally on the side of the angels in their treatment of the Indians. It was the outraged voice of the friar, Bartolomé de las Casas, which first made Europe aware of the fate that had befallen thousands of the natives in enslavement by the Spanish conquerors. As it was the agitation aroused by Las Casas and his kind that prompted Pope Paul III in 1537 to issue the bull Sublimis Deus in which he declared: "The said Indians and all other people who may later be discovered by Christians, are by no means to be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, even though they be outside the faith of Jesus Christ." (American Catholicism, 5) Here is a remark by John Paul II. "The early encounter between your traditional cultures and the European way of life was an event of such significance and change that it profoundly influences your collective life even today. That encounter was a harsh and painful reality for your peoples. The cultural oppression, the injustices, the disruption of your life and of your traditional societies must be acknowledged. At the same time, in order to be objective, history must record the deeply positive aspects of your people’s encounter with the culture that came from Europe. Among these positive aspects I wish to recall the work of the many missionaries who strenuously defended the rights of the original inhabitants of this land. They established missions throughout this southwestern part of the United States. They worked to improve living conditions and set up educational systems, learning your languages in order to do so. Above all, they proclaimed the Good News of salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ, an essential part of which is that all men and women are equally children of God and must be respected and loved as such. This gospel of Jesus Christ is today, and will remain forever, the greatest pride and possession of your people." (September 14, 1987) freep/article/20121021/NEWS07/310210369/1st-American-Indian-becomes-a-Catholic-saint
Posted on: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:17:16 +0000
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