Starting with the explosion that is the first Christian Pentecost, the New Testament displays a strong concern for ethnic identity, place, and what is today called, in a Protestant context, contextualization, or in a Catholic one, inculturation. The chief biblical proponents of this movement are James, Peter, and Paul—that is, the leader of the Jerusalem assembly, the future Bishop of Rome, and a foundational martyr of Rome. It is therefore not surprising that the unity that accompanies ethnic and cultural diversity has been—and increasingly becomes—a priority of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and the Successor of Peter, whose local church is also imbued with the memory and impetus of Paul.

In particular, the Popes have indicated the work of inculturation in the northern part of the American continent. Everybody, I think, is well aware of what Pope Francis has done in recent memory. But I think a lot of people have lost sight of what his predecessors have said. And they may never have heard of exactly how the Bishop of Rome got engaged with the matter in the first place.

It all starts with a delegation from the Kainai Nation (Blackfoot). They go to Rome to visit St. Paul VI, who in turn begins the modern papal discourse on inculturation in Indigenous North America. We can tell that this is the starting point from which everything organically develops, because the address of Pope Paul to the Kainai delegation contains three cornerstones that never go away. They occur, in only lightly developed forms, in the repeated teaching of John Paul II. And while it is important that the conciliar pope gets this going, it is equally as important, or more important, that the real motive cause here is Indigenous people themselves.

Paul VI’s little speech goes like this. First, he notes the value of Indigenous people, peoples, cultures, and underlying values. The words he chooses are these: “We wish to express Our affection for you and your people. We likewise wish to express Our esteem for your Indian culture and for the values which make it up.”[1] Next, he continues on by clarifying that these values are not inimical to Christianity but rather can serve as a resource: “We know that these values have been retained and that Christianity has drawn upon them.”[2] Finally, he expresses gratitude for the fact that Christianity has not been imposed as a cultural system from without, but that missionaries have fought for the preservation and foundational validity of Indigenous cultures and values on the American continent: “For this, We pay homage to the missionaries, who with selfless dedication have brought you the Word of God and who still minister among you with fraternal love.”[3]

Indeed, the late Pontiff was not wrong. We might even call him prophetic. His remarks to Kainai representatives even have special relevance for the area that I am from, thousands of kilometres away and known as the Dawnland (Wabanaki territory). The writer of the “Mi’kmaq Honour Song”—a piece which is popular and well adapted across the Dawnland region—recounts a significant encounter and contribution of priests when he tells the long story of his composition:

When the door opened, out crawled three old white men with beards. I was surprised because I distinctly heard chanting that sounded like a group of Indigenous men chanting in the Cree language. I asked the doorkeeper what was going on. He said that these men were priests that were sent here by the Pope to investigate the spiritual practices of Indigenous people… Each one of them spoke praise for the Indigenous ceremonies. They all expressed that it was a beautiful experience.[4]

Although the men were chanting in Cree, this encounter occurred in Kootenay Plains (Alberta)—in the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Personally, I can hardly consider that to be a coincidence.

Well, as I say, the exact framework that St. Paul VI starts with is maintained by St. John Paul II. Following on from his predecessor, the Polish Pontiff taught that in proposing the Gospel message, “the Church does not intend to deny the autonomy of culture. On the contrary, she has the greatest respect for it,” since culture “is not only an object of redemption and elevation but can also play a role of mediation and cooperation.”[5] He came back to these thoughts. Addressing the world’s consecrated persons, he reminded them that their predecessors in clerical and religious life “frequently have studied and defended indigenous cultures.”[6] Addressing in particular Indigenous peoples of Canada, he suggested to them, as St. Paul VI had previously done, that while Indigenous agency has been the primary motive cause, the “rebirth of your culture and traditions that you know today is in large part due to the initiatives and continued efforts of the missionaries.”[7] Indeed, according to St. John Paul II, this is not a moment past. He says that cultural resurgence should continue:

I encourage you, as native people belonging to the different tribes and nations in the East, South, West and North, to preserve and keep alive your cultures, your languages, the values and customs which have served you well in the past and which provide a solid foundation for the future. Your customs that mark the various stages of life, your love for the extended family, your respect for the dignity and worth of every human being, from the unborn to the aged, and your stewardship and care of the earth: these things benefit not only yourselves but the entire human family.[8]

He taught this more than once:

Guard this wisdom preciously. To let it become impoverished would be to impoverish the people around you. To live these spiritual values in a new way requires on your part maturity, interiority, a deepening of the Christian message, a concern for the dignity of the human being and a pride in being Amerindian and Inuit.[9]

He also stressed how obvious it was to Indigenous Christians that the Church would be enriched by their own culture:

We also recall how the worthy traditions of the Indian tribes were strengthened and enriched by the Gospel message. These new Christians knew by instinct that the Gospel, far from destroying their authentic values and customs, had the power to purify and uplift the cultural heritage which they had received. During her long history, the Church herself has been constantly enriched by the new traditions which are added to her life and legacy.[10]

I think it is worthwhile to meditate on these texts, because—let’s be real—we have barely scratched the surface of them. Many non-Indigenous Christians in these lands fight tooth and nail against this papal teaching. Others who accept the teaching would resist the implication that Indigenous people have been the driving force from the beginning. Still others want to remain hermetically sealed from the need to consider, in some capacity, inculturation here, rather than imported models from there, over the ocean. Indeed, despite all talk of reconciliation, few Bishops have moved the needle very far on inculturation since the 1980s. There are exceptions. But they are just that: exceptions. This too is a reality to be reckoned with.

On this Pentecost Sunday in Indigenous History Month (in Canada), there is much to ponder. Even if they themselves have their own cultural patterns, settlers and newcomers in North America (Turtle Island) have, perhaps, an obligation to know about inculturation in the place that they actually are, not just the places their ancestors came from. That includes appropriate attention to papal teaching, as well as appreciation for the events and principal actors who got that teaching to happen and be handed down in magisterial words themselves. At the end of the day, each person is a Christian where they are. No one is a Christian where they, or their ancestors, have been from. What does that mean? Until all the chips fall, there is only one way to find out—and it doesn’t involve sitting on the sidelines.

[1] St. Paul VI, Address to a Group of Blood Indians from Canada (8 August 1971).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] George Paul, “A Song to Awaken the Spirit: My Journey to the Mi’kmaq Honour Song,” in Sacred Thought: Mi’kmaq Meditations for Our Times (Charlottetown, PE: Pownal Street Press, 2024), 108–109.

[5] St. John Paul II, Address to University Professors and Cultural Leaders, Coimbra (15 May 1982): Insegnamenti 5/2 (1982), 1702–1703, quoted in Francis, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia (2 February 2020), 67n88.

[6] St. John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (15 March 1996), 98.

[7] St. John Paul II, Meeting with the Indigenous People in Canada, Fort Simpson (20 September 1987), 2.

[8] St. John Paul II, Meeting with the Native Peoples of the Americas, Phoenix (14 September 1987), 4.

[9] St. John Paul II, Meeting with Native Peoples, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré (10 September 1984), 3.

[10] St. John Paul II, Liturgy of the Word with the Native Peoples of Canada, Huronia (15 September 1984), 5.