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Hawaii group
will ask pope to
repeal ancient edict

They want the Vatican to void
the 1493 papal bull that
justified colonization

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By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin

A group of Hawaii residents is seeking an audience with Pope John Paul II in Rome to ask him to repeal a five-century-old edict they believe provides justification for colonizing indigenous peoples.

The papal bull, "Inter Caetera," issued in 1493 by Pope Alexander VI to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, allowed Christian countries to occupy and convert any non-Christian nation, particularly non-literate ones, according to Ron McCarthy, director of the Spark M. Matsunaga Institute for Peace.

The institute co-sponsored the trip to Rome, which was organized and researched by Tony Castanha and Richard Salvador. The delegation, which was expected in Rome yesterday, represents native Hawaiians, American Indians and other indigenous peoples.

Castanha corresponded with Cardinal Re, a prefect of the papal household, to appeal for an audience with the Pope, McCarthy said.

The delegation hopes to have the meeting next week.

"The edict was the basis of action -- first by the Spanish and Portuguese in the New World -- to subjugate the native people," McCarthy said. "This was an ideological sanction for much of the suppression of much of the native peoples and their cultures and their political rights, a sanction for widespread colonization. In the early days it was a sanction for genocide."

The papal bull is the basis for the idea that native people cannot care for themselves, as demonstrated by the annexation of Hawaii and in the aftermath of World War II when German-controlled islands were handed over to Western governments, McCarthy explained.

The papal bull has been the subject of protest in Hawaii for three years. On the past two Columbus Days protesters gathered in front of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu offices to burn copies of the Inter Caetera. The diocese now supports the delegation's mission.

This Columbus Day, Oct. 12, the annual burning of the Inter Caetera will be held at lunchtime in the University of Hawaii's Campus Center Courtyard.

Patrick Downes, editor of the Hawaii Catholic Herald, said he hadn't read the bull itself but from its description believes it hasn't been enforced for centuries.

However, Downes said he personally supports the bull's repeal if it "builds up the dignity and rights of the indigenous people."

"If indeed the idea behind the bull is that nations are given the command of the church to conquer in Christ's name, to make colonies in the name of the church, yes, that should be repealed," he said.

Lilikala Kame'elehiwa, director of the Center for Hawaiian Studies, said the center supports Castanha's efforts to take away the moral rights of colonizers who have invaded native countries. Repeal of the directive would restore fundamental human rights to indigenous peoples, she said.

"It would be a first step toward peace between colonizers and native people," she said.