Vatican's holy artifacts: Indigenous demand return
Vatican's holy artifacts: Indigenous demand return
in the vatican, the seat of Pope Leo is located Artifacts, of which many people believe they do not belong there. This collection includes thousands of colonial objects, including a rare Inuvialuit Sealskin kayak from the western Arctic area, a couple of embroidered leather gloves of the Cree, a 200-year-old Wampum belt, a baby belt from the Gwich’in and a necklace from Belugaza.
The dark story behind the artifacts
critics describe these objects as relics of a time of cultural destruction. They were taken over a century ago by the Roman Catholic Church as trophies of missionaries in distant countries. Pope Francis had promised to return the artifacts to the municipalities in Canada, as part of what he described as a "fine -up pilgrimage" for abuse of indigenous peoples through the church. But even several years later, they are still in the museums and storage rooms of the Vatican.
an urgent call for return
indigenous leaders are now asking Pope Leo to complete what Francis started and to return the artifacts. "If things are taken away that do not belong to someone else, it is time to return them," said Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, the national head of the first nations meeting. The demands for a return of the artifacts gained swing in 2022 when a group of first nations, Inuit and Métis delegated Rome visited to long-awaited conversations with Pope Franziskus About historical abuse in the an emotional experience for the delegates
During their visit, the delegates were given a guided tour of the Vatican collection and were amazed to see valuable relics thousands of kilometers away from the communities they had once used. "It was a very emotional experience to see all of these artifacts - be it from Métis, First Nations or Inuit - so far away from home," said Victoria Pruden, President of the Métis National Council. After this visit and Francis' subsequent trip to Canada, where he apologized for the role of the church in the boarding school schools, the late Pontifex promised to return the relics. Pope Leo, who held his first mass on May 18, has not yet publicly commented on this topic.
The origin of the artifacts
As the artifacts came into possession of the Pope, leads back to Pope Pius XI, who headed the Catholic Church from 1922. Pius was known to promote the work of missionaries and in 1923 called on to collect evidence of the far -reaching influence of the Church. "He said: sends everything that has to do with indigenous life. Submit holy possessions. Sends language materials. Sends indigenous people when possible," reported Gloria Bell, assistant professor for art history at McGill University.
cultural destruction and the failure of the church
The collection of the church of indigenous artifacts was put together at a time when the cultural identity of the indigenous peoples of Canada was long since wiped out. The Canadian government had made it mandatory that indigenous children attend boarding schools that were largely operated by the Catholic Church and aimed at “killing the Indian in the child” and assimilating them into white Christian society. In these schools, indigenous children were not allowed to speak their language or practice their culture and were strictly punished for it. Thousands of children died due to abuse or neglect, while Massengräber were discovered.
a historical moment of apology
Laurie McDonald, an elder from the Enoch Cree Nation, who grew up in an indigenous reserve in Maskêkosihk, Alberta in an indigenous reserve in the 1950s and 1960s. "We were not allowed to use our cultural upper robe, our tools or our medicine, and when we were caught, we were reported to the Indian agent," said McDonald, referring to the official representative of the Canadian government for assimilation policy. In 2022, McDonald returned to the place of his former school to Pope Franziskus ’historical sorry experience. "I am deeply affected," said Francis and looked over the land of four first nations. "I humbly forgiveness for evil that many Christians have committed against the indigenous peoples."
The way to make amends
The apology of Pope Francis was of great importance for many indigenous peoples in Canada. But Reconciliation is a long process . Leo will continue what Francis started - primarily by returning the artifacts. McDonald noticed that the objects represent stories and legacies that should be passed on for generations.
ethical obligation to return
During his visit in Canada in 2022, Francis said that the local Catholic communities committed themselves to promoting the culture, customs, languages and educational processes of the indigenous peoples "in the spirit" of the United Nations' declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples. Article 12 of this explanation states that indigenous peoples have the right to use and control their ceremonial objects, and that the states should strive to return them. When asked about the return of the indigenous artifacts, Francis replied in 2023 that "it goes in Canada, and we at least agreed to do so." He referred to the seventh commandment - "you shouldn't steal" - to reaffirm his support for the return.global return movements
In recent years, museums around the world have increasingly returned objects in their collections that have been stolen or possibly acquired unethical to their home countries. Last year, new regulations in the USA came into force to oblige the museums and federal authorities to obtain the consent of descendants, tribes or descendants of Hawaiian organizations before the issuance of human remains or cultural objects. In 2022, Pope Francis returned three fragments of the Parthenons sculptures to Greece, which he referred to as "gesture of friendship", The BBC .
The hopes for return
An investigation by the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail in 2024 showed that the Vatican has not returned a single indigenous object to Canada in recent years, with the exception of a 200-year-old Wampum belt, which was borrowed to a museum in Montreal for only 51 days in 2023. Pruden, from the Métis National Council, noticed that Francis "advanced things" by taking up the United Nations' explanation on the rights of indigenous peoples. You and other indigenous leaders hope that the artifacts will be returned soon. "What a nice return home it would be to welcome these gifts that were made by our grandmothers and grandfathers," said Pruden and described the objects as "very important historical pieces to tell a story".
The Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the return of artifacts in a meeting with Canadian Catholic cardinals in Rome this month in the run -up to Leo's first trade fair, reported Jaime Battiste, a member of the Parliament who also took part in the meeting. Woodhouse Nepinak said it was "an unpleasant and difficult affair, but it has to be done." She said: "We want to correct the mistakes of the past. This is what we want to do for our survivors, for their families and the story of what happened here to make sure that history is never forgotten."
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