Here are five pivotal moments in Pope Francis’ relations with Native communities. Santa Cruz, Bolivia, July 9, 2015 At a world summit of activists against social inequality, Francis asked “forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the church herself, but also for crimes committed against the Native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.” Going off script, he added that many priests “strongly opposed the logic of the sword with the power of the cross.” But, he acknowledged, “we never apologized, so I now ask for forgiveness.” Washington, Sept. 23, 2015 Before a sunbaked crowd outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in his only U.S. visit, Francis officially declared the 18th-century missionary priest Junipero Serra to be a saint. Serra “was the embodiment of a…
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