The “Doctrine of Discovery” and Terra Nullius: A Catholic Response

Source: http://www.cccb.ca/site/eng/media-room/statements-a-letters/4446-catholic-responses-to-truth-and-reconciliation-commission-call-to-action-48-and-questions-regarding-the-doctrine-of-discovery

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the Catholic responds to the Doctrine of Discovery.

The text considers and repudiates illegitimate concepts and principles used by Europeans to justify the seizure of land previously held by Indigenous Peoples and often identified by the terms Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius.

Both documents appeal to all Catholics — laity, members of institutes of consecrated life and of societies of apostolic life, deacons, priests, and Bishops — to make seven commitments in order to “continue to walk together with Indigenous Peoples in building a more just society where their gifts and those of all people are nurtured and honoured.” These commitments include:

  • Working with Catholic educational institutions and formation programs in telling the history and experience of Indigenous Peoples
  • Working with seminaries and other formation centres to promote a “culture of encounter” by including the history of the Indian Residential Schools and of Canadian missionary work with its “weaknesses and strengths”
  • Encouraging partnerships between Indigenous groups and health care facilities
  • Encouraging a restorative justice model within the criminal justice system
  • Supporting the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women
  • Deepening relationships, dialogue and collaboration with Indigenous People
  • Inviting Catholic parishes and institutions to become better acquainted with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

March 31, 2016

Rationality

The real subjects in Catholic education are the learners in the sense that wisdom requires that the learners be the primary agents of their own learning. Learners are invited to see for themselves: to be active agents of their learning rather than passive recipients of knowledge.

Learners are encouraged to use their whole minds in the pursuit of learning – their reason, memory, and imagination. And because learning proceeds from what is known to the unknown, learner’s own lefe experiences become the building blocks to new learning. An attitude of openess to the truth requires that practices of exclusion – such as racism and sexism – be absent from the learning environment. Wisdom is the antithesis of injustice. Such openness also welcomes everyone into the learning process. Everyone’s voice can be heard in the learning environment just as everyone has the opportunity to learn.

Strategies to engage Reason and Rationality in Catholic Schools:

  • Encourage social analysis: the context of learnings gives meaning to the content; cultural contexts and worldviews are open to question; other perspectives can be viewed
  • Promote responsibility and commitment: take learners beyond their own knowledge; discover how knowledge can be life-giving
  • Sensitize learning: investigate whose interests are served by what we learn; relate learning to the Reign of God
  • Encourage relational learning: allow for different styles of learning; collaborative; cooperative learning
  • Foster the professional development of teachers in the study of theology and religious education
  • Assess student learning in the religious dimension based on the cognitive understanding of faith integration into all subject areas
  • Celebrate academic achievement

How can Catholic educators educate for wisdom?

Sacramentality

A sacramental outlook invites Catholic educators to develop and nurture their own sacramental consciousness. When Catholic educators live their own lives in appreciation of the goodness of creation and as meaningful and worthwhile, their attitude permeates their interaction in the educational milieu and will encourage a similar outlook in others. The ideal of a Catholic school is to educate its members into a world that is sacred and holy because it is God’s creation. Appreciation for God’s gift finds expression in the attitudes and actions of a school community through liturgy and stewardship. School policies and practices include reverence for the sacredness of created things through environmentally respectful actions that regard creation as the Lord’s and for the enhancement of the life of all people.

Strategies to Develop a Sacramental Awareness in Catholic Schools

  • create attractive learning environments
  • attend to the sacred dimension in all subject areas
  • celebrate key moments in the life of the community
  • provide opportunities to participate in the sacramental and liturgical life of the church
  • include sacramental awareness programs in faith and professional development activities
  • keep a clean and healthy environment for learning
  • promote environmental awareness programs
  • celebrate the gifts of creation, Earth Day
  • participate in recycling programs
  • encourage responsible stewardship of resources

How does Catholic education express the sacramentality of all creation?