An Historic Reckoning: Our Take on the Doctrine of Discovery Repudiation
On March 31, 2023 the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, a collection of 15th-century papal bulls that supported the capture of non-Christian lands and the genocide and enslavement of non-Christian people. This repudiation is an historic moment, following decades of activism by Indigenous nations, Black liberation movements, and their allies.
Join the N&N Land Justice Project on Wednesday, April 5 from 1-2 pm ET for a conversation about this historic moment with Pat McCabe (Diné teacher & advisor), Tela Troge (Shinnecock Kelp Farmers), and others!
During the era of colonization, the Doctrine of Discovery compelled Christian leaders “to invade, search out, capture, vanquish, and subdue all non-Christians" and stated that any land not inhabited by Christians was available to be "discovered," claimed, and exploited.
Through citation and incorporation into U.S. case law in 1823, the Doctrine of Discovery has served as the legal foundation for ongoing land theft, genocide, and modern property law in the United States. Today’s statement reads:
The Catholic Church therefore repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of Indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political ‘doctrine of discovery.’
While the full statement failed to recognize the extent of the Church’s responsibility for the violence of colonization, it did acknowledge the Doctrine’s impact, stating that “it is just to recognize these errors, acknowledge the terrible effects of the assimilation policies and the pain experienced by indigenous peoples, and ask for pardon.”
Commemorate this moment with us on Wednesday, April 5.
What does this mean for the world?
Pope Francis has said that “we are not in an era of change, but a change of era.” Our current era — our mainstream economy and worldview — depends on the same mindset of domination that undergirded the Doctrine of Discovery. For this system to survive, those in power must stay asleep, unaware, or willfully ignorant to the depth of violence it causes. The repudiation of the Doctrine is a big wake-up call.
Cultural reckonings like today’s repudiation can open the doorway to a “change of era,” but it’s our job to walk through the doorway. We believe that “property” — the Earth herself — can be the site of that healing.
This is the work of the N&N Land Justice Project. Together with over 100 religious communities, we create property planning processes rooted in racial and ecological healing.
To us, a “changed era” looks like Indigenous-led land restoration efforts, Black food sovereignty collectives, or regenerative farming co-ops — that is, a restoration of relationship, control, and loving stewardship of land to those most harmed by our extractive system. Join us as we study and apply the many diverse ways this concrete repair can happen – beyond what we ever imagined was possible.
If your community is preparing to let go of sacred lands — either now or in the future — we invite you to ask: How can our property planning process support this change of era? How can we engage in property planning from an awareness of the harm that has happened, and the repair that is needed? What is the transformative power of religious property planning, in this crucial moment?
We hope you’ll join us next Wednesday as we continue holding these questions together.
Toward a change of era,
–the N&N Land Justice team