Pope John Paul II offered Australia's Aboriginal and other indigenous peoples of Oceania an apology for past "shameful injustices" of the Roman Catholic Church, in a message posted on the Internet Thursday.
The pontiff wrote that the Church "apologized unreservedly" for the part played by its members "especially where children were forcibly separated from their families".
The apology came in a report by the special Synod on Oceania held in the Vatican in 1998, and follows a papal apology to China last month for the historic wrongs committed by its representatives in that country.
"Aware of the shameful injustices done to indiginous peoples in Oceania, the synod fathers apologized unreservedly for the part played in these by members of the Church, especially where children were forcibly separated from their families," said the document signed by the pope.
Wrongs done to the indigenous peoples needed to be honestly acknowledged, whether the truth had been suppressed by governments, their agencies or Christian communities, the document said.
The document underlined that the identity and culture of Aboriginal people "are gravely threatened", and said the church would "support the cause of all indigenous peoples who seek a just and equitable recognition of their identity and their rights."
It said it would support their aspirations for "a just solution to the complex question of the alienation of their lands." -- Vatican City (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
