Whoever succeeds Pope Francis will inherit his momentous and controversial legacy of relations with Indigenous people throughout the Americas.
Some found Francis to be a reconciling figure, others a disappointment. Even those who applauded the actions he took during his 12-year papacy said they were just a beginning, and that his successor will need to continue to work toward healing.
Francis, who died April 21, at age 88 issued a historic apology for the “catastrophic” legacy of residential schools in Canada and oversaw the repudiation of the “Doctrine of Discovery” — the collective name given to a series of 15th-century papal decrees that legitimized colonial-era seizure of Native lands.
But some Indigenous leaders criticized him as slow to fully recognize the traumatic impact of Catholic missionary efforts and for canonizing Junipero Serra, the 18th-century missionary accused of mistreating Native people in present-day California.
Even Francis’ admirers says his work is unfinished
“It’s 150 years of trauma. …