In our journey of dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery and its horrible legacy, there is a recurring argument from the Catholic church and its supporters, that there is no need for the church to formally rescind, for it has already done so through the papal bull Sublimis Deus. I have previously provided a brief overview as to why this argument does not hold true, and for those who wish to dive a little deeper into this history, now offer further discussion below.
Before we do, however, it’s best to tidy up a small, but important related matter: why Indigenous Peoples are calling for the Vatican to rescind the Doctrine, and the difference between “rescind” and “repudiate”. We must address this because, in many of the arguments of the church, they conflate repudiation with rescindment as an evasive tactic, often citing the many times the church has repudiated the practice of slavery and Indigenous dispossession.
Repudiation relates to the moral rejection and renunciation of a concept. Within the context of the Doctrine of Discovery, repudiation is most often what is called upon by modern colonial governments to do, where they have no explicit reference to the Doctrine of Discovery or the Papal Bulls within their constitution, but it is inferred within their assumption of domination.
Rescindment refers to the revoking and repealing of a law or policy. Within the context of the Doctrine of Discovery, rescindment is most often what is called upon by the Vatican to do, as the papal bulls (laws) which form the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, were issued by the Vatican.
It’s important for us to be clear about these two concepts, because so often those who argue against rescindment of the papal pulls cite the many instances where the Catholic church has repudiated the concepts of slavery and dispossession, including through the papal bull Sublimis Deus (as we saw recently when church defenders responded to First Nation protests calling for the Pope to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery, during his papal visit to Canada). As stated by leading Doctrine of Discovery scholar, Steven Newcomb it is important that the Pope formally and ceremonially revoke the entire body of papal bulls which constitute the Doctrine of Discovery, in order to systemically undercut the very basis of the arguments of domination which remain to be used against us to this day.
Now, let us turn to the matter of Sublimis Deus, and its use as an argumentative tool against the duty of the Catholic church to formally rescind the Doctrine of Discovery.
Understanding the intent and application of Sublimis Deus calls us to take a deep dive into the history of that period, to understand the characters, the text and intent of the documents, and the surrounding events. So let’s set the scene:
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