Vatican Repudiation of “Doctrine of Discovery” Offers Lessons for LGBTQ+ Advocates

Last week, the Vatican announced it repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” which Europeans used for centuries to justify colonization. While this announcement may seem detached from LGBTQ+ issues, we can learn relevant lessons from it regarding the church’s treatment of gender and sexuality.

“Doctrine of Discovery” describes a series of papal documents dating back to the 15th century that granted European colonizers a political and theological case for the subjugation and genocide of Indigenous communities and for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. For decades, Indigenous activists worldwide petitioned the Vatican to repudiate the Doctrine and its legacy, as many governments and other Christian denominations had already done. Catholic officials finally did so on March 31st through a joint statement from the Vatican’s Dicasteries for Promoting Integral Human Development and for Culture and Education.

The statement made clear that the Doctrine of Discovery is “not part of the teaching of the Catholic Church” and that papal documents “written in a specific historical period and linked to political questions, have never been considered expressions of the Catholic faith.” However, the statement also acknowledged that these papal documents “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples,” and were “manipulated” by European nations “to justify immoral acts. . .without opposition from ecclesiastical authorities.”

Repudiating practices and teachings that devastated so many millions of lives is a major step in undoing the Doctrine of Discovery’s legacy, which damages communities to this day. The repudiation will foster reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Indigenous communities. Lessons from this development can inform LGBTQ+ advocates’ efforts for sexual and gender equality in at least three ways.

First, the Vatican statement is an acknowledgement not only that Indigenous and Black communities were oppressed, but that the church played a significant, and at times central role in the terrible harm done. Church leaders have rarely shown such a willingness to admit fault and seek to make amends. Such acknowledgment, however, is essential for dealing justly with the painful parts of church history. While colonization and gender/sexuality issues are not synonymous, a similar apology to LGBTQ+ people that recognizes the institutional church’s misdeeds is needed (as Pope Francis himself recognized in 2016). Evidence of the positive impact a wider apology could have on LGBTQ+ issues was manifest when Kentucky’s Bishop John Stowe, OFM, Conv., apologized to fired church worker Margie Winters.

Second, the process that led church officials to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery provides a roadmap forward for reconciling with the LGBTQ+ community. The Vatican statement notes that the repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery emerged from deep listening and intense dialogue with Indigenous communities, “especially with those who profess the Catholic Faith.” Indigenous communities taught often-ignorant Catholics about the legacy of genocide, forced assimilation, and enslavement. This education made it impossible to ignore the wrongdoing any longer. Dialogue between church leaders and LGBTQ+ people, especially Catholics, also must be expanded and intensified. Pope Francis has modeled such encounters, but yet they remain too infrequent at local levels. If the institutional church deeply listened to LGBTQ+ people, it would likewise be difficult to ignore the discrimination and exclusion still present today.

Third, apologies are not the last word. The Vatican’s statement on the Doctrine of Discovery goes beyond simply repudiating past teachings. It emphasizes the church’s contemporary solidarity with Indigenous peoples, which results in concrete actions like supporting their rights in the international community and institutions. In the LGBTQ+ arena, it is critical that Catholics, and in particular church leaders, take concrete steps such as enacting non-discrimination protections, offering gender-affirming care at Catholic institutions, welcoming rainbow families, and exploring how church teaching must develop according to the signs of our times.

Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery is not simply about correcting history. Colonization still occurs today, and its legacy still runs deep throughout the world. Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, prefect of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development, made clear in an interview with Vatican News that the statement’s main point was “to recognize what of that sad history, in fact, is at work today.” Catholics are beginning to grapple with this complex legacy of colonization with new intention and energy. Church leaders should not wait even more centuries to act similarly on LGBTQ+ issues, too.

—Robert Shine (he/him), New Ways Ministry, April 4, 2023