The Vatican’s statement repudiating the 15th century Papal Bulls is a “good first step.”
That from Wahta Mohawks First Nation Chief Philip Franks. The Bulls were a series of decrees by the Catholic Church which, among other things, permitted European nations to claim lands as their own, regardless of whether they were already populated.
“Those initial decrees were very damaging across the world,” says Franks. “Mind you, there was a third one issued which clarified the position of the church that the taking of lands, the discrimination of people, and all of those things were not to be conducted by any country. But it was decades later, and I think the mold was set.”
Franks says it’s nice to see Pope Francis acting on last year’s apology to Canada’s Indigenous People, as it created opportunities to learn about the wrongs of the past, but it should be the first move of many.
“Mind you, it’s a statement, it’s words, and I know a lot of Indigenous People across the country were hoping for more,” says Franks. “One of the concrete steps they could take is to release records of all the residential schools that the Catholic Church was in charge of. That would be a big step in helping the reconciliation process move along.”
According to Franks, another important step is for the church to keep in contact with survivors of residential schools.
“Those are the people they have to continue to have dialogue with, because the survivors are actually the motivators, the drivers behind potential apologies we’re seeing now,” says Franks. “They didn’t quit. They kept putting forward their concerns, their voices.”
Aside from the church, Franks notes that the local municipalities in Muskoka have been “working with us more than in the past,” particularly in regard to the Muskoka and Area Indigenous Leadership Table.
Franks says that as First Nations work towards expanding their self-governance, he hopes that Canadians and Indigenous People will continue to talk and work together, citing the Two-Row Wampum of 1613.
“When Europeans first came, it was a treaty that said we can live together, like two canoes going down the river,” he explains. “We’ll stay in ours, we won’t interfere with yours, you stay in yours and don’t interfere with ours, and everything will be good.”
