Vatican Pope Indigenous Glance

Several moments were pivotal in Pope Francis’ relations with Native communities in the Americas. In Bolivia in 2015, he asked for forgiveness for Catholic complicity in colonialism. Later that year in Washington, he declared the 18th century missionary priest Junipero Serra to be a saint, a move some denounced because of the priest's controversial legacy. In Mexico in 2016, Francis demonstrated his support for blending Indigenous culture into worship. He apologized for the church's role in residential schools in Canada in 2022. The following year, he led the Vatican's repudiation of the “Doctrine of Discovery.”