This past spring here in Edmonton the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops organized a knowledge-sharing symposium with experts in the Doctrine of Discovery. As you may know, Call to Action #47 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls upon all levels of government in Canada – federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal – to repudiate concepts used “to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, and to reform those laws, government policies, and litigation strategies that continue to rely on such concepts.”
To clarify, the actual term ‘Doctrine of Discovery’ was first used officially in a U.S. court case in 1985 to summarize a series of different legal principles from the period of colonialization[1]. From the Church’s point of view, the Doctrine of Discovery was never part of Church teaching. In fact, in 1537 (45 years after the Americas were discovered by Europeans), Pope Paul III wrote to bishops and colonial powers[2] asking them to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples. He says solemnly in Sublimis Deus: “We define and declare [ … ] that [, .. ] the said Indians and all other people who may later be discovered by Christians, are by no means to be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, even though they be outside the Christian faith; and that they may and should, freely and legitimately, enjoy their liberty and possession of their property; nor should they be in any way enslaved; should the contrary happen, it shall be null and have no effect”[3]. That was 1537.
Nevertheless, colonial powers formulated this principle of a Doctrine of Discovery seeing Indigenous land as terra nullius (or no one’s land, empty land) that governments and settlers could claim ownership. Despite the Pope’s clarification, Catholic missionaries accompanied colonizers to attend to their spiritual needs and share the Gospel with Indigenous peoples. This often led to collaboration and compromise.
The knowledge-sharing symposium in Edmonton back in May brought together about 50 participants from Canada, the United States, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, France, Spain, and New Zealand. These included “Indigenous leaders, Elders and Knowledge Keepers, Representatives of Original Nations of this continent, historians specializing in colonization, legal scholars, authors who have published articles and books on the Doctrine of Discovery, Catholic bishops and theologians, and participants coming from diverse spiritual traditions.”[4]
Some of the scholars who attended had been writing on this subject for years and reading each other’s works but had never met in person. Some people at the table had very different points of view of history, the complicity of the church, and her complicated involvement with colonial powers. Everyone understood the disastrous effects on Indigenous peoples and their relationship to the land, as well as the loss of culture and the sense of dignity that occurred in many parts of the world. It was a powerful experience of listening and knowledge-sharing. Friendships were formed as people sought to understand the history and the impacts of the history.
I share this tonight as an example of truth and reconciliation and of how the Church is trying to concretely answer Call to Action #47. People with various points of view, some whose peoples had suffered immensely at the loss of their lands and culture, sought to listen, learn from one another, and take another step closer to healing.
When the symposium concluded, people went back to their countries and homes as friends further committed to healing and undoing the effects of the Doctrine of Discovery that still influences law in numerous countries including Canada.
The Church’s commitment to truth and reconciliation comes not only from our sense of justice and shame in looking back at the bad actions of some Christians in the past. It is that – trying to repair wrongs. But our commitment is based solidly on the Word of God and its teaching about God’s plan for all humans.
The readings from the Sacred Scriptures that we heard at the beginning of our service tonight give us a glimpse from God’s point of view of his intentions for us and give us a hopeful vision or direction for the future. As we heard, the Scriptures affirm the goodness of creation, God’s willing each one of us to exist, and finally his sending of his Son Jesus in the flesh to share his knowledge, life, and holiness with us.
God’s Son Jesus – who was always with the Father and the Holy Spirit – took on our human nature to show us the hidden Face of God and to bring us to share in divine life forever. In the first reading we heard from the Book of Revelation we had a powerful and joyful vision of heaven. The reading begins with an explosion of wonder at the sight of “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.”
Our commitment to truth and reconciliation as Christians is rooted in these very Sacred Writings that teach how every human being is wanted and willed by our good God from the very beginning of creation. God sent his Son Jesus to every nation, every person, not to take away their language, their culture, or their land, but, as God, to dwell there in the flesh, to inhabit it more fully, to fill it, and become one with us.
The apostle John’s vision in the first reading not only upholds the dignity of every language and nation but points to a healing, and reconciliation, a joy after what is often sadly a difficult life and struggle in this world. As good as the world is, made by God, humans have fallen: we sin, and we disturb the harmony of God’s garden. In this world sometimes, there is hunger, thirst, unhoused people, people deprived of land but full of tears. John’s vision of heaven has shelter, food, drink, a people living and worshipping God as one family at peace with their diverse languages and cultures.
As much as we long and hope to go to that heavenly paradise at the end of this earthly life, we believe that the heavenly life did enter our world when Jesus Christ was born as one of us. With his grace and teaching, relying on his strength and vision, we can start to live that heavenly life now where we treat everyone with love and respect, listen to one another, pray, forgive, feed the hungry and thirsty, welcome and house those in need.
This is the real doctrine to discover: that we are God’s children and are called to live as God’s children now.
[1] See Oneida v. Oneida Indian Nation, 470 U.S. 226, 234 (1985) in https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1852&context=plrlr
[2] The Bull is addressed specifically “to all faithful Christians,” that is, all members of the Church.
[3] See the Bull, Sublimis Deus, 1537. Accessed September 29, 2026: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2023/03/30/0238/00515.html
[4] Press release Wednesday, June 3, 2026, website of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, https://www.cccb.ca/indigenous-peoples/resources/doctrine-of-discovery-and-terra-nullius/
✠ Most Rev. Stephen A. Hero
Archbishop of Edmonton
Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples
September 30, 2026
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