Indigenous Catholics should ‘have a seat at the table’ in the Church, said two bishops

(OSV News) – Two bishops recently told OSV News they are working to ensure Indigenous Catholics have “a seat at the table” in the Church, for a conversation led by the Holy Spirit.

Archbishop Paul Martin, SM, of Wellington, New Zealand, and Bishop Chad Zielinski of New Ulm, Minnesota, sat down with OSV News in late September amid meetings of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on Native American Affairs, of which Bishop Zielinski is chair.

The meetings brought together groups from Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada “to really talk about the experience of being Indigenous people in (those) countries, (and) what issues they are facing”, said Archbishop Martin.

According to the United Nations, there are more than 476 million Indigenous people representing more than 5000 groups in 90 countries, accounting for 6.2 per cent of the world’s population. Most of the world’s estimated 7000 languages are spoken by Indigenous people.

The UN also notes Indigenous peoples across the globe continue to face a number of challenges, such as a lack of political representation and access to social services — as well as denials of their right to self-development according to their own cultural values.

The Catholic Church is working to change that, even as it reckons with its own legacy of involvement in colonialism, said Bishop Zielinski.

While the Church is “serving [such] communities . . . sadly, part of the history of the Church is that [it] really did not at times stand up, and in the name of Christian justice, in the voice of Jesus Christ, stand up for these people who were really being mistreated,” he said.

In July 2022, Pope Francis embarked on a penitential pilgrimage to Canada, during which he apologised for the Church’s role in that nation’s residential school system in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Months after the pope in Canada condemned colonialism as incompatible with the Gospel, the Vatican publicly repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery”, a political and legal theory based on 15th century papal bulls, which European and North American governments utilised to justify their colonisation of Indigenous land and peoples.

One of the key topics that emerged during the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Native American Affairs meetings was “intergenerational trauma”, Bishop Zielinski said.

While Bishop Zielinski noted the “commonalities” among Indigenous communities, Archbishop Martin also stressed the uniqueness of Indigenous experiences in various areas.

In New Zealand, where the Maori have lived since at least the 14th century, “we didn’t have any history of reservations or residential schools”, said Archbishop Martin, making the historical relationship between the Maori and the Church “somewhat different” from the Catholic Church’s other encounters with Indigenous people.

Among New Zealand’s population of some 5.2 million, Te Reo Maori is increasingly spoken “throughout the country”, said Archbishop Martin. “There’s a real revival of the language . . . a renaissance and reclaiming of Maori language and Maori culture.”

As a result, “Catholic people in New Zealand are being exposed” to Maori culture, a process that is even “more intimate” due to the nation’s smaller population, Archbishop Martin said.

Archbishop Martin said his nation’s six dioceses regularly meet with Maori representatives “to hear the voice of Maori Catholic people” by making sure they “have a seat at the table”.

“We use a lot more Maori in the liturgy,” involving “particular things from the culture within the life of the liturgy, while still respecting the nature of the liturgy itself,” said the archbishop.

At the same time, the Church also needs to have the ability “to critique culture and not to be mean,” said Archbishop Martin. “It’s really hard when you’re immersed in the culture, but (you also have) to be able to step out and say, ‘Actually, this is not a good part of our culture.'”

Bishop Zielinksi recommended having parishes “do presentations” and other initiatives that “would facilitate a dialogue” on Indigenous concerns while “honouring and learning” about Indigenous culture.

Those cultures are too often in danger of being left behind as “younger people . . . embrace Western society,” he said. “Their influence is coming from everything they see (on) the Internet, social media, Facebook and all that, and it has a huge Western influence which is quite different than their traditional ways of thinking.”

Bishop Zielinski said that the Catholic Church’s approach to Indigenous peoples should start with recalling “you’re a guest” in such cultures.

“How do you honour that?” he asked. “Once you enter into that with the right mind, then things start to happen.”

“We’re just beginning to learn the value of a listening, spiritual conversation,” said Archbishop Martin.

Bishop Zielinski said it is crucial for those “entering into this dialogue . . . (to) want to do the will of God.

“You’re there with an open heart and mind, and it is the Spirit who leads us. … We’re brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,” he said.

In an earlier interview with NZ Catholic, Auckland diocese vicar for Maori Manuel Beazley, who also attended the conference, noted a return to traditional beliefs.

“One of the things that I might particularly highlight is, based on census data, that [there is] a growing return for Maori in the practice of traditional Maori beliefs. That figure, according to the census data, doubles every time there’s a census,” Mr Beazley noted. “That’s a trend or something that we need to be mindful in the Church’s ministry to Maori.”

Mr Beazley said that he suspects this will be a common theme among Indigenous people who had their religion suppressed or taken over by Christian beliefs.

He said that looking at how the early missionaries approached and converted the Indigenous peoples to Christianity might provide some insights for the mission in the 21st century.

Mr Beazley said that another key issue that he will raise is how the Church engages with Maori today.

“How well has the Church taken the face of its Indigenous cultures?” he asked. “There is a tension between traditional Maori belief and spirituality and Christian spirituality, but it’s something that we need to be able to dialogue, both Maori amongst Maori, and with Maori and the Church.

“This is where I think the upcoming synod and the process of synodality is going to be quite important.”