Any religious figure that believes dogs can go to heaven is guaranteed to win public adoration. But Pope Francis II has done more than just gain the trust and respect of the world; he has maintained it by taking a political stance on current issues that jeopardize our society. During his recent three-country tour of South America, the pope maintained this activism by commenting on injustices towards Native Americans. While in Bolivia, Pope Francis II addressed a crowd of over 5,000 individuals, including labor union organizers, community outreach personnel and the first indigenous president of Bolivia, Evo Morales. By the end of his speech, the entire audience was celebrating the pope’s words of sincerity and wisdom as they unanimously accepted his apology. Yes, the pope of the Catholic Church, one of the most powerful and widespread religions on this earth, apologized to a relatively small crowd of individuals in Bolivia. It was incredible.
During the colonization of the Americas, virtually every indigenous group was mistreated. Some of this abuse was supposedly in the name of God, as missionaries and other religious officials, many of them Catholic, attempted to impose their Christian beliefs on the Native Americans. During his address in Bolivia, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness on behalf of the Catholic religion for the disrespect and violence inflicted on Native Americans. He was genuine in his apology, referring to this mistreatment by saying, “There was sin and an abundant amount of it.” He definitely maintained his image as an adored religious leader while also appealing to the crowd of Bolivian social activists. He sounded like an enlightened and theological individual, which he is.
Catholicism is not the only religion with shameful past relations with Native Americans. Utah’s history includes some pretty blatant and disgusting violence against the original owners of the land. The Bear River Massacre, the Black Hawk War and the Walker War all emerged from tension between Mormons and differing Native American groups. This tension was usually caused by land disputes that were extremely detrimental to indigenous societies. Mormon settlers’ occupation of tribal land caused reductions in crop yields, disruptions of established trade routes and eventual starvation and poverty. This animosity resulted in anger, and though there was violence on both sides, the slaughter and cruelty that was inflicted on the Native Americans was ultimately worse.
In Utah, both Mormons and Native Americans live together in extremely close proximity. The two groups apparently coexist, seeing as there have been no wars or bloody battles in recent years, but that does not mean the crimes committed against the indigenous people have been forgotten. When the history of Catholicism and Native Americans is discussed, there will be accounts of exploitation, violence, manipulation and an overall dehumanization of the indigenous people. There is also a marked end to this dark history – the apology of Pope Francis. This apology does not erase the trauma of the oppression of Native peoples, and there are undoubtedly people who do not accept this apology, but at least it is an attempt at reparation with the indigenous peoples. What reparations have the native tribes of Utah received?
Pope Francis demonstrated a great deal of humility in his apology to the Native American population. The pope did not necessarily need the approval of the indigenous population – he has been very successful and popular as the leader of the Catholic church even before his apology. He apologized because it was the right thing to do. The earth is filled with persons of differing cultures and beliefs and ideas, and it is inevitable that these entities will create unrest. But to further society, it must also be inevitable that unrest and disputes are resolved, “in order to form a more perfect union.”