A Moment of Disappointment

There is so much to celebrate about the recent visit of Pope Francis to Turtle Island (aka the USA). But there are also reasons for disappointment, especially this from my friend Mark Charles:

About half way through his speech, Pope Francis mentioned the indigenous peoples of this land. My heart jumped. I was nervous, but eager. This was it. Here was the section. What would he say? What sin would he address? The Catholic Church’s Doctrine of Discovery? The colonialism of Europe? The stolen lands and broken treaties of the United States?
… I waited in anticipation…

“Tragically, the rights of those who were here long before us were not always respected. For those peoples and their nations, from the heart of American democracy, I wish to reaffirm my highest esteem and appreciation. Those first contacts were often turbulent and violent, but it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present.”

What??? Did I hear him right???

“…it is difficult to judge the past by the criteria of the present.”

My heart sank. My body went numb. I could not believe my ears. Pope Francis was standing on the world stage dismissing the Catholic Church’s devastating Doctrine of Discovery.

Be sure to read Mark’s commentary on Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, earlier in the article
Also see this.