“Unjust economic policies are especially damaging to indigenous peoples, young nations and their traditional cultures; and it is the Church's task to help indigenous cultures preserve their identity and maintain their traditions. A special case is that of the Australian Aborigines whose…identity and culture are gravely threatened. In more recent times, however, their joint efforts to ensure survival and gain justice have begun to bear fruit.” From Pope John Paul II’s apology to Oceania in 2001. We have to ask: What is its relevance now?
Lightning Ridge, Euahlayi Nation, 9 December 2016 - The question we must now ask ourselves is what is the relevance of the Papal Apology to Oceania, dated 22 November 2001, when Pope John Paul II declared:
Indigenous Peoples
28. Unjust economic policies are especially damaging to indigenous peoples, young nations and their traditional cultures; and it is the Church's task to help indigenous cultures preserve their identity and maintain their traditions. The Synod strongly encouraged the Holy See to continue its advocacy of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
A special case is that of the Australian Aborigines whose culture struggles to survive. For many thousands of years they have sought to live in harmony with the often harsh environment of their "big country"; but now their identity and culture are gravely threatened. In more recent times, however, their joint efforts to ensure survival and gain justice have begun to bear fruit. There was a saying from Australian bush life heard in the Synod Hall: "If you stay closely united, you are like a tree standing in the middle of a bush-fire sweeping through the timber: the leaves are scorched, the tough bark is scarred and burned, but inside the tree the sap still flows, and under the ground the roots are still strong. Like that tree you have survived the flames, and you have still the power to be born. The time for rebirth is now". The Church will support the cause of all indigenous peoples who seek a just and equitable recognition of their identity and their rights; and the Synod Fathers expressed support for the aspirations of indigenous people for a just solution to the complex question of the alienation of their lands. ... [extract ]
Papal Bulls issued from Rome were used as the law of the time of the imperial colonial expansion during 15th to 18th centuries. The Papal Bulls validated the expansion of the boundaries of France, Spain, Portugal, Holland and England in particular. These kingdoms needed new land and they needed new resources, because they could not control their population growth. Poverty became rampant and, in the case of England, they didn't have enough prisons. Such was the extent of the poverty in England that the authorities demonised the people who were trying to fight for survival and avoid starvation. In the case of Ireland, the English had to rid themselves of the Irish freedom fighters, who were rising against England, so as to maintain their own Irish national identity and their lands.
The first foreign prison that England commenced was what is now called the United States of America and they acquired these lands using the Papal Bull decrees, which said that they could take the land of local inhabitants who were non-Christians and or who were classified as infidels. This came from their Biblical teachings, where it was written in the Bible that God told Abraham that his children could take the lands of the infidels and his children would become the kings and queens of those new lands.
But along with the Papal Apologies we have been researching the Bible and its scriptures, because one thing that haunts the memory of our Old People, and this memory has been handed down to us in this generation to this day, is the realisation: They came with the Book in their hand when we were the sovereigns of the soil, but within 50 years we were killed with impunity and we were imprisoned not for any wrongs doings, but simply because of who we are.
Now with First Peoples learning the scriptures in this Book, the Bible, our people are defining the hypocrisy of the leaders of the churches, and this hypocrisy is evil. The following scriptures are taken from the New International Bible.
In Acts 17:26 the apostle Paul referred to a teaching, which said that God had already set the divine boundaries of human habitation on earth.
In Act 17:26 the apostle Paul stated: From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.
In the Bible Deuteronomy at 32:10 it says: Remember the days of old. Consider the generations long past … ask your father and he will tell your elders and they will explain to you when the most high gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind and set up the boundaries for peoples.
In Euahlayi we call him Bhiamie. The Creator.
At 1 Kings 21:2 (NIV): Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”
At 1 Kings 21:3 Naboth said to King Ahab in reply: The Lord forbid that I should give to you the inheritance of my father.
We see in the example in 1 Kings 21 where Naboth's persecutors, Ahab King of Israel and his treacherous wife Jezebel, conspired the death of Naboth and the theft of his property. Both died a tragic death as punishment for their misdeeds.
In Deuteronomy 19:14 it states: Do not move your neighbour's boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess. (God is equivalent to Bhiamie, The Creator, for Euahlayi)
In Proverbs 22: 28 King Solomon said: Do not move an ancient boundary stone set up by your forefathers.
Proverbs 23: 10 & 11 say: Do not move ancient boundary stones and encroach on the fields on the fatherless. For their defender is strong; he will take their case and fight against you.
And Deuteronomy 27:17: For God has said cursed is anyone who moves their neighbour's boundary stone.
What we see here in Australia are the misdeeds and crimes of the misfits sent here and who cheated their way into governance, knowingly acting in a treasonous manner against the kings and queens of England, in order to take control of this continent by crime.
The international law on invasion at the time, and now, is affirmed in their scripture teachings and they have knowingly transgressed their own God's law. Not only did they move the boundary stones of our Nations, but also they committed the greatest sins against us when they killed us with impunity and took our inheritance, our property – our land and natural resources.
It is the height of hypocrisy that the Australian governments at every level, Territory, State and National, should put in the introductory clauses to all their legislation '… Lords spiritual and temporal ...'. These people clearly have no conscience regarding the sins they have and continue to commit and the trespass that they commit upon the First Nations Peoples of this country.
What makes this even more evil is the fact that their judges in the courts use the Bible to make sure that people tell the truth when swearing an oath and they ask witnesses to put their hand on the Bible (unless the witness affirms). Such is the power of the so-called truth in the Bible that a person falsely testifying can be held in contempt of court and be prosecuted for being deceitful and lying. Surely this fact should never be overlooked. But as Proverbs 23: 11 foretells: 'For their defender is strong; he will take their case and fight against you.'
Furthermore, these judges when confronted with challenges to the laws, uphold their law based on the 'Lords spiritual and temporal' and totally transgress the teachings of their Christian faith by maintaining an illegal trespass against First Nations Peoples and continue to commit crimes against humanity.
Politicians or wannabe politicians frequently campaign with media coverage showing them going into or leaving a church and to demonstrate compassion and humility by kissing babies. The evil doings that these people uphold and knowingly commit are against all forms of human decency.
As our Peoples say: Our Creator walked amongst us and created the Songlines and laid down a continental common law for all of us to observe, which we do by song, dance and ceremony and governance under our own Law. We do not have dominion over nature, we are part of nature and, as the people who walk upright and have the ability to analyse and plan, our task is to make sure that we observe the Rules that have been handed down through ceremony, song and dance, and that we attend to the absolute assurance that the life cycle of all things natural is maintained in harmonious relationship with each other.
In this modern world many people are wanting to get back to nature so as to ensure longevity and sustainability for humankind, but the devil can be found in his playing field and his toys are the transnational and multinational corporations, which cast a mean shadow across every part of the globe and impact in such a way that the world is almost totally dysfunctional. The worshippers of evil cannot see past their greed and their love of money and profiteer at the expense of the defenceless, while on the other side they profess their falsehood by making huge donations to charitable institutions and fund political campaigns, in order to influence the election of whom they consider are the right people and put their choices into power.
Those evil wrongdoers, who walk amongst us promoting deceit and profit, must be cast out of the churches and the political and judicial systems. If they are not cast from power then there is a Doomsday looming. Sadly, some of our own people have been corrupted for status and profit and run with the evil wrongdoers and they now trespass against their own.
For First Nations Peoples under the current regimes the evil that has come with colonialism is now pressing ever so hard against us, since they know that our sovereign inherent rights are so real that the colonialists and the modern day State are desperate to crush us, the First Nations Peoples, into submission.
First Nations Peoples are 3% of the population and are 100% correct in respect of their assertion of their sovereign inherent rights.
Background:
POPE’S APOLOGY TO OCEANIA
POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION ECCLESIA IN OCEANIA OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS PRIESTS AND DEACONS
MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CONSECRATED LIFE AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL ON JESUS CHRIST AND THE PEOPLES OF OCEANIA: WALKING HIS WAY, TELLING HIS TRUTH, LIVING HIS LIFE
…
Indigenous Peoples
28. Unjust economic policies are especially damaging to indigenous peoples, young nations and their traditional cultures; and it is the Church's task to help indigenous cultures preserve their identity and maintain their traditions. The Synod strongly encouraged the Holy See to continue its advocacy of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
A special case is that of the Australian Aborigines whose culture struggles to survive. For many thousands of years they have sought to live in harmony with the often harsh environment of their "big country"; but now their identity and culture are gravely threatened. In more recent times, however, their joint efforts to ensure survival and gain justice have begun to bear fruit. There was a saying from Australian bush life heard in the Synod Hall: "If you stay closely united, you are like a tree standing in the middle of a bush-fire sweeping through the timber: the leaves are scorched, the tough bark is scarred and burned, but inside the tree the sap still flows, and under the ground the roots are still strong. Like that tree you have survived the flames, and you have still the power to be born. The time for rebirth is now". The Church will support the cause of all indigenous peoples who seek a just and equitable recognition of their identity and their rights; and the Synod Fathers expressed support for the aspirations of indigenous people for a just solution to the complex question of the alienation of their lands.
Whenever the truth has been suppressed by governments and their agencies or even by Christian communities, the wrongs done to the indigenous peoples need to be honestly acknowledged. The Synod supported the establishment of "Truth Commissions", where these can help resolve historical injustices and bring about reconciliation within the wider community or the nation. The past cannot be undone, but honest recognition of past injustices can lead to measures and attitudes which will help to rectify the damaging effects for both the indigenous community and the wider society. The Church expresses deep regret and asks forgiveness where her children have been or still are party to these wrongs. Aware of the shameful injustices done to indigenous peoples in Oceania, the Synod Fathers apologized unreservedly for the part played in these by members of the Church, especially where children were forcibly separated from their families.() Governments are encouraged to pursue with still greater energy programmes to improve the conditions and the standard of living of indigenous groups in the vital areas of health, education, employment and housing.
Development Aid
Given in Rome at Saint Peter's, 22 November 2001, the twenty-fourth of my Pontificate.
JOANNES PAULUS PP. II
Contact:
Ghillar Michael Anderson
Convenor of Sovereign Union of First Nations and Peoples in Australia, Asserting Australia's First Nations Sovereignty into Governance
and Head of State of the Euahlayi Peoples Republic
Mogila Station, Goodooga NSW 2838
ghillar29@gmail.com, 0499 080 660