Want healing for residential school survivors? 'Rip up' the Doctrine of Discovery: activist
If there's one thing the Pope can do to bring healing to Indigenous people, it's rescinding the Doctrine of Discovery.
That's according to residential school survivor Paul Dixon, 65, who was among many activists in Quebec City this week imploring the Pope to denounce the 600-year-old doctrine, historically used to justify Europe's colonization of Indigenous lands.
"I would quickly heal today, in the next minute [after] he rescinded," Dixon told CTV News at the Plains of Abraham Thursday.
That same message -- "Rescind the Doctrine" -- was present at the Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre basilica on Thursday, spelled out in bold, red letters.
Two demonstrators held the banner at the front of the church shortly before the Pope's mass began.
Residential school survivors like Dixon say the doctrine, stemming from a series of edicts called "papal bulls," is at the heart of injustices faced by Indigenous peoples.
One of these bulls, for example, ordered the spreading of Christianity across foreign lands.
"You should appoint to the aforesaid mainlands and islands worthy, God-fearing, learned, skilled, and experienced men, in order to instruct the aforesaid inhabitants and residents in the Catholic faith and train them in good morals," reads an excerpt from the 1493 bull issued by Pope Alexander VI.
Protesters hold up a banner during a mass with Pope Francis, center top, at the National Shrine of Saint Anne de Beaupre, Thursday, July 28, 2022, in Saint Anne de Beaupre, Quebec. (AP Photo/John Locher)
It's a philosophy that, centuries later, would justify the development of the residential schooling system -- a system Dixon was a victim of for 10 years.
"I'm still on the healing journey. That happened to me when I was just six years old. And you know, your childhood days and your teenager years, you can never get back."
Residential school survivor Paul Dixon, 65, holds up a sign demanding the Doctrine of Discovery, used historically to justify colonialism, be rescinded. (CTV News)
He said this trauma is something the Pope's apology can never undo.
"The Pope's apology, and at the Prime Minister's apology was never enough."
The Doctrine of Discovery has yet to be formally denounced by the head of the Catholic church, but organizers of the papal visit said Canada's bishops are working with the Vatican in hope of issuing a statement on the matter.
Dixon and others say true reconciliation requires it -- but he's not getting his hopes up.
"[It] ain't gonna happen, and the Queen ain't gonna come and kiss my moccasins."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.