Central America's Indigenous Seek Apology from Pope Francis for Genocide Sputnik
go to original February 9, 2016

Will Pope Francis Address Child Sexual Abuse in His Visit to Mexico? (wochit News)

The Supreme Indigenous Council of Michoacan, Mexico, accused the Catholic Church of being involved in mass genocide, which started with the Spaniards' arrival to the Central American region in the 16th century.

The statement noted that, by the beginning of the 17th century, there were less than 700,000 native inhabitants left alive, from an original population of about 25.2 million, which makes the Spanish intervention and invasion of the Americas one of the largest acts of genocide in history.

"For over 500 years, the original people of the Americas have been ransacked, robbed, murdered, exploited, discriminated and persecuted," the statement reads. "Within this framework, the Catholic Church has historically been complicit and allies of those who invaded our land."

The communities also emphasized that colonizers' abuses included the forcing of European culture, language and Catholicism on the native peoples of Central America, and using the Bible as an "ideological weapon."

Read the rest at Sputnik

Related: Mexico Recognizes Indigenous 'Identity' with Birth Certificates (teleSUR)

Related: Mexico Faces Devastating Human Rights Crisis as Pope Francis Prepares Visit (Amnesty International)

Related: First Nations Come in Last: Canada Discriminated for Years Against Indigenous Children (Sputnik)

We invite you to add your charity or supporting organizations' news stories and coming events to PVAngels so we can share them with the world. Do it now!