Homily for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, at Sacred Heart 2026 – Most Rev. Stephen A. Hero

Bishop Stephen A. Hero addressed the Doctrine of Discovery during a homily for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at Sacred Heart. He noted that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops organized a symposium with experts on the subject in Edmonton this past spring.

Hero clarified that the Doctrine of Discovery was never part of Church teaching. He explained that the term was first used officially in a 1985 United States court case to summarize various legal principles from the colonial era.

The bishop referenced the 1537 papal document Sublimis Deus, written by Pope Paul III, which instructed bishops and colonial powers to uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples. In that document, the Pope declared that Indigenous people should not be deprived of their liberty or property and should not be enslaved, regardless of whether they were Christian. This follows Call to Action #47 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which asks Canadian governments to repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous lands and peoples.