The following comes from a July 21 California Catholic Conference post:
We stand this evening on the sacred traditional lands of the Ohlone Nation. I want to begin by thanking our Ohlone brothers and sisters for welcoming us to their homeland.
I am speaking to you this evening as chairman of the task force on Native American Historic Concerns of the California Catholic Conference of Bishops. The purpose of this task force is to work with our California Native communities so that they may tell their true histories and the true history of the missions and to use our influence to assure that these true histories will be heard.
In the Americas, in the United States and in Canada, in North and South America, every inch of this land belonged to your ancestors, to Native Americans. This land was your inheritance and it was taken away from you. We are aware of this throughout the United States, but especially here in California, where our past history is more immediate to our awareness and where it was members of the Church who were the first foreigners to invade the land.
As a bishop of California I want to ask your forgiveness, the forgiveness of all Native Americans but especially of California Native Americans, for the failures of the Church and whatever the Church, past and present, has done, either directly or indirectly, to participate in, cooperate with, or indifferently ignore the oppression, the enslavement, and the genocide, yes genocide, of Native Americans. I ask your forgiveness.
Here in California, in the last few years, the bishops have become more and more aware of the history and the needs of our Native American communities and we are resolved to see that the truth is told and our care for Native Americans improved.
I also want to express gratitude for those representatives and members of the Church, few though they may have been, who stood up for, defended and supported Native Americans.
See July 15 CalCatholic article Native American Catholics across US to gather in Oakland.
To understand what is wrong with Bishop Edward Clark, read the important Messages of Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady of Akita and then read:
What Is Wrong With Pope Francis? | The American Conservative
“What is Francis doing? Is this just the usual progressive Catholic see-no-evil dingbattery, or is there something else happening here? Again, how very odd for a world religious leader to deny the power of religion to mold the minds of men and to motivate their behavior. You would expect a vulgar Marxist to say all things are motivated by class and economic struggle and nothing but, but you wouldn’t expect a Roman pontiff to take that ridiculous and easily disproven line.”
https://www.theamericanconservative…
I am not a careful student of California history, so anyone who is please chime in. I am well aware of the current trends in political correctness toward labeling Fr. Serra evil. So when his Excellency demands that truth be told, what is he expecting to hear? How evil the missionaries were in bringing the everlasting light of Christ to the Native Americans? That Franciscans were pawns of the rapacious Europeans,and were complicit in their subjugation and suffering? Does the good bishop–or anyone else– have accurate historical records about the treatment of Indians by the Church? If not why the apology? If so he already knows the truth, and ought to be more specific in his apology.
Another thought– this hand-wringing fuels the fire of political correctness. Today we read DePaul University will not allow conservative commentator Ben Shapiro to talk on campus. Why? Their students might get upset and riot. Or complain. Now students know if they display contempt for civility they will be richly rewarded by a feckless administration. A great Catholic education, eh? Now as regards the apology: if an apology is called for, it should be for specific documented wrongdoings. Failing that, his Excellency should avoid the matter entirely, IMO.
Such cheap talk masquerading as magnanimity. Such ignorance masquerading as history.
The Church will be better off when fewer bishops are chairmen of such frivolous task forces.
This sick and disturbing story is proof positive that we are in the end times. The unthinkable has now become reality. Brothers and sisters in Christ look up for your redemption draws near. satan.s time to do evil is almost up. Perhaps Joe Biden can also form a new after school club because he now has marriage experience to marry men to each other. Be not afraid at the things that you see and hear. Jesus is coming soon. Pray, Pray, Pray!
Thank you, Watchman. Good advice.
That’s it keep on apologizing for the Holy Roman Catholic Church and Jesus Christ himself, this is truly betond sick but hey Pope Francis does it in a daily basis.
“We need priests who are men of the interior life, “God’s watchmen” and pastors passionately committed to the evangelization of the world, and not social workers or politicians.”
― Cardinal Robert Sarah, God or Nothing
Amen!
She is a wonderful Saint.
Please Bishop Clark, before you open your mouth again do a bit of research first. The native Americans are better off today as a result of the white man’s coming to the new world and this is a fact. Please don’t apologize on my behalf.
So Bp. Clark affirms: “As a bishop of California I want to ask your forgiveness, the forgiveness of all Native Americans…[for] whatever the Church, past and present, has done, either directly or indirectly, to participate in, cooperate with, or indifferently ignore the oppression, the enslavement, and the genocide, yes genocide, of Native Americans.”
So, the Catholic Church participated in genocide? Really? (“Yes, genocide.”) (def. “deliberate killing of an ethnic group”) A term that actually was coined by Rafael Lemkin about 1943, in part, to describe Hitler’s “final solution” —but also to describe the Armenian massacre of about 1.5M people in 1915 by—are you ready—the Islamic Ottoman Turks?
So the Catholic…
..Church can be grouped with the Nazis and the original Islamic State in the Levant? Sounds like it should be prohibited from existing.
I thought the Pope was infallible. At least that’s what you all were saying about Pope Benedict. Why is Pope Francis not awarded the same reverence. What happened?
I’m sorry, Panthermom, i do not grasp your point. Benedict never issued any infallible pronouncements, and was skewered by the media frequently, and had many critics in the Church.. Around here he was certainly appreciated for bringing Anglican converts into the Church and for his intellectual acumen, but I can’t recall anyone on these pages raising him to godlike status. PF’s reputation, whatever it is, has likewise been earned by what he has said. Words count. If he has not been accorded the same respect as BXVI, it may be due to the content of what he has said.
Time to dismiss what people are saying and look to actions and what the Church actually teaches, PantherMom. That includes understanding the limitations of infallibility. Not the excess that popular and misguided opinion – better suited to a Chick tract – would have even Catholics believe.
To the point,Pope Francis is awarded all the reverence his position, not his person, demands. But that is precisely why His Holiness’s overt rejection of said position and the dignity it demands of the one holding the office incurs the just critique of the faithful who would otherwise be misguided to believe that authority exists for authority’s sake.
So what happened, indeed? The Papacy is there to uphold Catholic Faith and Morals, not chastise…
… the sheep for keeping the Faith of our fathers.
Wake up, Panther Mom. The dream has ended and the wolves have entered the pasture while you’ve been dozing along with fantasies of Papal oracles.
This saying may apply. ‘if you have to ask, I can’t explain it.’ A nice way of saying….The bias in your question is so loud, no explanation will ever change your tune’. Right?
Compromised shepherds, and lax Catholics, owe an apology to Almighty God, for NOT listening to His Mother.
Messages of Our Lady of Akita
“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see Cardinals opposing Cardinals, Bishops against other Bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests). Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises, and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord” – Our Lady of Akita
Panthermom stop playing dumb, Benedict the XVI actually believed in the Roman Church I stand here saying Francis does not!! This man is destroying what is left of the Church in favor of protecting the cult of death called Islam!
Add one more to the list of Catholic American Bishops spouting ignorance.
As to American Indian History, Clark couldn’t be more ignorant. It’s doubtful he ever picked up a book on the subject.
By the way, St.Tekakwitha’s Mohawk were cannibals.
Saint Junipero Serra, pray for us!
http://www.SaintSerraBook.com
Saint Junipero Serra, pray for us!
SHAME, SHAME bishop Clark!
In making their case against the King, our Founders referenced “the merciless Indian Savages whose know rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditons.” An understatement.