The Pope Requests Pardon... Too late

By Felix Atencio- Gonzales        

The gesture without precedents of the Pope - requesting pardon for the errors committed by the Catholic Church in its evangelical mission - surprised the world. The Pope is right. Analyzing history objectively, no good Christian can be proud of the periods of dark ages that the Church has promoted, participated in or in front of which it has closed its eyes. Specially during the period of the sword and the cross, where the missionaries were instrumental in debilitated or destroying so much wisdom and knowledge that our Peoples, had developed during thousands of years.

But how commendable the Papal gesture was, it was much to late. In the 508 years since Christianity took over the Americas, the Church does not know the extent of its ominous roll in history and the irreversible it damage did to our own spirituality.

But putting too the little interest of the national and international press or a the focus on the Holocaust, allowed to miss the opportunity in Peru to debate that request for pardon of the Pope to the poorly called " ethnic minorities ". After all, who is a minority in Peru? But that, is another debate.

Reviewing our history, we see that the Indigenous Peoples have suffered forced and massive conversions and the negation, diabolization, mockery, persecution and the systematic eradication of our own spirituality. It is indisputable that the spine of a nation is its own spirituality which guides the Human-Human, Human-Nature and Human-Creator relations. The social and political system of the Ayllus, the contact with the Pachamama, the Taita Inti, the Apus, Wiracocha are part of our beliefs. Other Indigenous Peoples have their own. They are different from the Christians but are not evil and they do not deserve to be attacked.

The constant efforts to force replace our own spirituality by Christianity, have created cracks in our culture, our behavior and overall, has debilitated our own identity. For that reason in Peru many are ashamed to recognize their roots, despite that we are the majority, the fruits of the same tree, the roots of the continent.

The missionaries and soldiers arrived here ad started the " errors " for which the Pope requests pardon today. In 1988, the United Church and the Lutheran Church, two Canadian Christian denominations, have requested pardon, public and especially to Indigenous Peoples for the role they had in the colonization, the subjugation of these peoples and for pushing their spirituality into hiding.

The gesture of the Pope in Rome must be reflected in the following days in the towns of Peru. Religious pluralism must include other beliefs beside the official religions. It must respect honestly the integrity of our beliefs, which are still practiced today. I hope that the "more Popes than the Pope " will show humility in their missionary work, to contrast with history. Our spirituality has the right to express itself freely and not be subordinated to any religion.

8 years ago I had the opportunity to participate in Tiawanaco, - the cradle of the Quechua-Aymara civilization,- to spiritual ceremonies of the Winter solstice. More than 5000 people spent all the night dancing and singing waiting for the arrival of Taita Inti, Father the Sun. Without Christian influence, the ceremonies were the strongest _expression of the will to exist of our peoples. Today, the Pope who publicly and in front of the world, requests our pardon opens the doors to new beginning. Christianity should not repeat the same errors of the past which are translated at the present time in religious fundamentalism.

They must respect Indigenous Peoples’ spirituality. Our spirituality must be included and in the different states' constitution, at the same level of beliefs that have official recognition. As a result, our youth will learn to know it, to understand it and to feel proud of our heritage and about its own culture. Collectively Peru must conciliate with its own identity.

I want to pay tribute to our elders who have conserved and transmitted our spirituality and to all those that, in the last 508 years have suffered persecution, despotism or died by their beliefs. That's is why the Pope is requesting our pardon.