The Vatican has rejected the Doctrine of Discovery, will King Charles III follow suit?

After years of requesting that the Pope rescind the Doctrine of Discovery, Indigenous leaders are pleased that their pleas have finally been heard. On March 30, 2023, the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery.

In an official statement on the Doctrine, the Vatican spoke about the Christian duty to respect the rights and dignity of all humans before stating, "The Catholic Church, therefore, repudiates those concepts that fail to recognize the inherent human rights of Indigenous peoples, including what has become known as the legal and political 'doctrine of discovery.' "

The Vatican also stated that these papal bulls were "manipulated for political purposes by competing colonial powers in order to justify immoral acts against Indigenous peoples that were carried out, at times, without opposition from ecclesiastical authorities".

In addition, the Vatican cited Pope Francis' words to the Indigenous during his visit to Canada related to the discovery of mass graves at residential schools, "Never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others, or that it is legitimate to employ ways of coercing others."

However, Indigenous leaders in Canada say they are hesitant to celebrate this important step. CBC News spoke to Ernie Daniels, a former chief of Long Plain First Nation in Manitoba, who was among the Indigenous leaders who went to Rome in 2022 to meet with Pope Francis to discuss the matter. Daniels also was with the delegation that met with the Pope while he was in Canada last summer.

Daniels told CBC News, "On the surface, it sounds good, it looks good ... but there has to be a fundamental change in attitudes, behaviour, laws and policies from that statement."

Daniels also highlighted the importance of institutions around the world changing their colonial mindset towards Indigenous people saying, "There's still a mentality out there — they want to assimilate, decimate, terminate, eradicate Indigenous people."

The Doctrine of Discovery is a document that until recently, many people around the world have never even heard of. However, for hundreds of years laws and political decisions up to the current day can be traced back to this document.

The decree sanctions and promotes the conquest, colonization, and exploitation of non-Christian territories and people worldwide.

The Doctrine of Discovery allowed for laws that invalidate or ignore Indigenous people's rights, sovereignty, and humanity in Canada, the United States, Australia, and across the globe.

The Doctrine of Discovery is a principle of international law that was created by Pope Nicholas V in 1452.

Through the issue of a papal bull the Portuguese empire could conquer and enslave Saracens and "pagans" with the Church's blessing.

Years later, in 1493, the year after the arrival of a Spanish-sponsored expedition to the Americas, Pope Alexander VI (well known for his corruption) issued the papal bull Inter Caetera.

Pope Alexander VI's papal bull said land not inhabited by Christians could be claimed and that "barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself."

This allowed the Spanish, Portuguese, French, and British empires to devour more of Africa and the Americas.

These Papal Bulls were simply a continuation of what had been going on since at least the 8th century: from Charlemagne, through the Crusades, the Inquisition, the war on witches, to the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8, 2022, the First Nations Leadership Council of Canada felt it was time for the new king to embrace reform.

Indigenous leaders said that with a change in Canada's head of state, it was also time for a change in how the Crown approaches the Indigenous of Canada.

According to The National Indigenous Times, following Pope Francis' apology in May 2022 for the Catholic Church's role in Canadian residential schools, which were notorious for mistreating First Nations children, the Queen was asked for a similar apology.

The Anglican Church (of which the Queen was head) also operated residential schools throughout Canada, which played a significant role in the cultural genocide the First Nations people of Canada experienced.

Pictured: an Anglican run residential school in 1894. Credit: By Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada -

In the summer of 2022, Métis National Council president Cassidy Caron called upon Queen Elizabeth II for an apology on behalf of the Anglican Church; however, the Queen chose not to act.

In addition, the secretary-treasurer of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs, Kukpi7 Judy Wilson, also requested that the late Queen rescind the Doctrine of Discovery, which her Majesty did not do.

As reported by CBC News and several other Canadian news outlets, Canada's First Nations Leadership Council has called upon King Charles III to do the right thing and renounce the Doctrine of Discovery.

The Council states that the Doctrine has been highly damaging to the First Nations people of Canada as it "dehumanized non-Europeans while empires waged war and stole lands, resources, and wealth," The National Indigenous Times reported.

Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and a member of the Tsartlip First Nation, told CBC News that it is time that the relationship between Canada and the monarchy is discussed, particularly as a new generation takes on the responsibility of the Crown.

Olsen told CBC, "We have to recognize ... that the wealth and privilege that monarchs and the business of the monarchy are accumulated on the backs of Indigenous peoples. They have a responsibility."

In a statement, Canada's First Nations Leadership Council said, "We call for this international law doctrine to be renounced by the King of England. With a change in Canada's head of state, it's time to change the Crown's approach to Indigenous sovereignty."