Pope Francis meets Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the outgoing Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, on September 24, 2015. Photo by Caleb Smith / Speaker John Boehner / Flickr
Ray Cook, the opinions editor at Indian Country Today, isn't worried about Pope Francis and his first-ever visit to the United States. He's more concerned about putting an end to the Doctrine of Christian Discovery:
The Pope can bless Serra for as long as the sun shines and the grass grows. It has no impact on my traditional people of the Mohawk Nation. Save for those who have embraced Roman Catholicism. Within the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council or within the few Catholic-affiliated organized religious clubs, perhaps, or among Methodists, Mormons, Presbyterians—the Canonization is a big deal. I can only imagine. This event has nothing to do with my people and allies. Serra represented a god we did not understand. A god that demanded the subjugation of Peoples. Is that a god? Or a warlord looking for glory in the form of land and gold? Jesus, from what I understand, represented the opposite of the accumulation of wealth and practice of moneylenders, particularly at the expense of the abused. I have no concern about what the Pope decides. He is a fabrication for the implementation of control. It is not relevant to the lives of my people who still practice a way of living that leaves out no one. Spirituality is freedom, organized religion is crowd control.Get the Story:
Ray Cook: Forget Serra; Let's Talk About Papal Bulls (Indian Country Today 9/24)
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