Revoking Doctrine of Discovery

At first look the UN Permanent Forum on Indiginous Issues' appeal to Pope Benedict XVI to revoke the Doctrine of Discovery sounds like one of those demands for sweeping apology so frequent these days. Speaking only for myself, I'm not a big fan of these. Not that the victims aren't deserving. But in my opinion, whether for slavery, internment, the Holocaust or what have you, even when accompanied by reparations, these apologies do more to assuage the guilt of perpetrator than the pain and suffering of the victim.

However, revoking the Doctrine of Discovery would be more than an apology. This would be big--really big.

Why? Because the Doctrine of Discovery forms the underpinning for Aboriginal-White relations all over the globe. It is the specious argument all governments fall back on when they cannot morally defend the taking of Indigenous lands and the destruction of Indigenous Resources.

The truly ironic part is that the Doctrine of Discovery is the Pope's to revoke. As far back as the 15th century, Kings began to assert their rights against the pope. Yet today, even countries like the US that hold strict separation between church and state and will have no state religion, regularly turn to these 500-year-old papal bulls to rationalize the taking of Indian land. It continues even to this day.