Catholic church apologizes to indigenous peoples for 'sins'

Citing the “sins" it committed against tribal communities, the Catholic Church begged for forgiveness from the indigenous peoples (IP) and pledged to do everything possible to protect them. The Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said the church apologizes for having disrespected other cultures in the past through acts such as the colonization of native peoples. “As we continue to welcome IPs into the Catholic community, we ask forgiveness for suppressing their spirit as a people and the moments when we injured their personhood as they took on a new identity as Catholics," CBCP Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples chairman Bishop Sergio Utleg said in an article on the CBCP news site on Wednesday. Utleg particularly apologized for moments when the Church entered native communities “from a position of power, indifferent to their struggles and pains." “We ask forgiveness for moments when we taught Christianity as a religion robbed with colonial cultural superiority, instead of sharing it as a religion that calls for a relationship with God and a way of life," he said. The Church and various indigenous communities marked October 10 as Indigenous People's Sunday in Baguio City. However, most of the activities of this year's event, with the theme “Healing for Solidarity: Asking for Forgiveness for Sins against Indigenous Peoples," were held at the Baguio Cathedral. The activities ended on Tuesday. Meanwhile a group of IPs accepted the church’s apology as it noted that unity can be the “strongest asset of the indigenous peoples to change the flight we face." “Learning from past mistakes forges stronger ties ... Together with the Filipino people, the Church and indigenous peoples can work for a peaceful future," the group Katribu said in a statement. Tong-tongan, bodong The “tong-tongan" reconciliatory rites and other tribal rituals were also held at the Baguio Cathedral on Monday. Officiated by elders, tong-tongan is one way of settling land disputes in the town of Buguias in Benguet province in northern Luzon. Majority of the IP participants from different dioceses across the country cited the following among their major concerns: