Digging out the roots of an invasive theological weed
In 2015 the Canadian Church received an invitation many Christians still don’t know about. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) issued its Final Report, along with 91 “Calls to Action.” Central to these Calls is a message urging the Church to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery, a concept unfamiliar to most Christians. These specific Calls to the Church are, at their core, an invitation to restore a broken relationship.
The Doctrine of Discovery, rooted in papal decrees, provided the religious and moral framework for colonial powers to seize lands inhabited by non-Christian peoples, laying the foundation for centuries of oppression and injustice.
Origins in the papal bulls
The story begins in the mid-1400s when the Catholic Church issued a series of official statements known as papal bulls. These documents, written by popes in Rome, were not just spiritual guidance – they were powerful legal and political tools. The most significant among them were Dum Diversas (1452), Romanus Pontifex (1455) and Inter Caetera (1493):
- Dum Diversas authorized the Portuguese crown to “reduce any Saracens [Muslims] and pagans, and any other unbelievers,” to perpetual slavery, setting the stage for the transatlantic slave trade.
- Romanus Pontifex extended this authority, granting Catholic nations the right to claim dominion over “discovered” lands and peoples.
- Inter Caetera further divided the non-Christian world between Spain and Portugal, reinforcing the idea that Christian rulers could claim lands simply by virtue of their faith.
These specific Calls to the Church are, at their core, an invitation to restore a broken relationship.
The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada can be ordered through McGill-Queen’s University Press (it is split into a number of volumes).
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These papal bulls were issued when European nations were embarking on voyages of exploration and expansion. The Church’s blessing gave these ventures a moral and legal justification, allowing explorers to claim they were both serving their monarchs and fulfilling a divine mandate to spread Christianity.
A doctrine of domination
These ideas, while hundreds of years old and speaking to a different context from our contemporary one, continue to impact policy and public opinion. They set a framework not just for exploration, but also for domination. The Doctrine of Discovery advanced the belief European Christians were inherently superior to other peoples and cultures. It asserted that non-Christian lands were “empty” in a legal sense – terra nullius – even when they were home to thriving societies.
In 2015, the United Nations Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples decided to refer to the Doctrine of Discovery as “the Doctrine of Christian Domination.” This demonstrated how far these doctrines and policies moved beyond the original mandates of the Catholic Church, and how they continue to shape culture today. That brings us back to the opportunity offered us by the TRC “Calls to Action.”
The opportunity of repudiation
The TRC invited many sectors of society, including churches and faith-based organizations, to “repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery and the attitudes that justified European superiority, including the concept of terra nullius.”
This invitation is not unique to Canada. There is a faith-based global organization called the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery with the tagline “What has been done in the name of Christ must be undone in the name of Christ.” The Church community worldwide has the opportunity to examine and acknowledge how the sin of superiority has crept into our hearts and our structures, to repent and walk in a new way with Indigenous neighbours.
Many of us are only now realizing the devastating impact both personally and structurally that Indigenous People labour under after centuries of questioning and undermining their personhood. The TRC and the global coalition are saying it is time to undo this harm in the name of Christ. That would mean moving beyond statements to also address the deep-rooted structures and attitudes the Doctrine of Discovery set in motion.
By understanding the Church’s central role in legitimizing colonial conquest, we can better appreciate the ongoing work needed to heal the wounds of the past and build a more just future for all peoples.
Jodi Spargur lives on the unceded Coast Salish Territory known as Vancouver and directs Red Clover Initiatives, a nonprofit network that creates Indigenous-led local actions for healing and justice with the Canadian Church. Read more of these columns at FaithToday.ca/HistoryLesson.