Hi Friend,

You may have heard the news. 

Pope Francis has repudiated the original papal bulls which are part of what we now refer to as the  Doctrine of Discovery, which gave the justification for colonization. (Read the article from ictnews.org). Both US and Canadian Bishops have joined the Pope's condemnation. This moment arises from 50 years of active indigenous requests to Church leadership in Europe, specifically the Vatican, to repudiate and rescind the Doctrine, and over 500 years of resistance to colonization by indigenous peoples around the world. 

I remember the first time I heard about the Doctrine of Discovery. It was a casual conversation in the midst of a climate justice gathering that effectively changed my life. I asked a man who worked for the Indian Law Alliance what the people (in this case, members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy) wanted. He said: to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery.

I was confused. What did that have to do with climate change and ecological justice (ie, the topic of the conference)? That question led me to recognize that the Doctrine of Discovery was not just an 'indigenous issue'; one more issue amongst many important issues, one more story of pain and suffering amongst a big world filled with stories of pain and suffering. This is one of the foundations of many, many forms of suffering. Suffering by the colonizer and the colonized: for all of us. 

I found my prayers and actions joining those of my indigenous colleagues.  

For me, that looked like writing M.Div. thesis, where I re-originated the story of climate change into the Doctrine of Discovery; to my teaching the ReMembering Course; to speaking about why the Doctrine of Discovery matters for those people who care about climate change; to partaking in strategic meetings and networks aiming to push Pope Francis; to writing a very succinct history as part of our booklet on Land Acknowledgements.  To sharing what understanding, however small, I have gained.

This moment is not just about the Church recognizing the horrors of colonization and making some gestures to recognize its role in it. 

This was a gesture only the Pope could do: take his pen and write a few phrases that could ripple through time and space and wrinkle it: this moment touches a moment that happened about 5 centuries ago: touches it, and says: no. We are not that. We repudiate arrogance, cultural superiority, and the concept of sheer violence and exploitation against people and places. 

It is as if he had a hammer and he struck a blow to the cornerstone that forms the foundation of the colonial dimensions of the modern world. To be sure, he did not remove the stone.  He could have used phrases that would have had an even stronger signal and set of actions attached to them.  But this gesture helps that stone crack. What is now possible, both spiritually and practically, that has not been as possible for several centuries?  

That answer is up, in part, to all of us. For this is not work that one man can do alone. That is not the movement or the moment we are in. We are in the moment of the collective (from 'me' to 'we', as they say). 

It is the collective that led to this moment.

Prayers sowed in the air and the ground and one another's hearts with sincerity; a wish deep from within our spirits, our spirit which has shed tears uncontrollably at the pain suffered by people and plants and animals alike, a sustained campaign outlining the tyranny of a Doctrine to whatever handful of people who might gather... to convince, deepen, make convictions count... 

I - we! -  are part of many hearts and hands and voices whose efforts are not in vain.  Our prayers, woven through email communications and meetings; funding streams and long marches; storytelling and arguments; pathos and ethos and logos; letters and accompaniment; so many forms of witnessing ... they all matter.

For all of you who participated at this moment, even if it was in some small, small way, know that, in this gesture, you are part of a much larger historical moment that touches the sound of the genuine.

Our world can, at times, feel full of frivolous and superficial engagements. 

Critics will wonder if this repudiation is enough. It's not.  But it is, still, important.

Together, we are finding ways to change the dialogue. To change what is deemed worth paying attention to. To unlearn and to relearn. To not only skim along life at the superficial. 

Even as I read the news, I was preparing for my next ReMembering Course.  Once again, a powerful group is gathering to go deep into the history and the legacy of the Doctrine, to better understand how it shaped our modern moment, and to take further next steps in the process of healing. I wonder how the Pope's actions will impact this cohort's trek through time and space and hearts. We will start this journey just after Earth Day, on  Sunday, April 23.  Perhaps you will join us.

Regardless, I hope you can appreciate those things you do with your full heart. Know that change can, does, and will continue to occur.  So much is possible. 

Blessings to your tender hearts, your deep prayers, and your growing courage. 

All the best,

Sara Jolena