In Bolivia, Pope apologizes for 'crimes committed' by the Catholic Church against indigenous people

(Image credit: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)

published 9 July 2015

During an event in Bolivia on Thursday, Pope Francis apologized for the "offenses" carried out by the Catholic Church against indigenous people in the past.

Speaking to activists, indigenous groups, and President Evo Morales, the first-ever indigenous president of Bolivia, Francis said he "humbly" asked for "forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the church itself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America." Francis stated that Latin American church leaders have acknowledged "grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God," and in 2000, St. John Paul II issued his own apology for sins previously committed by the church.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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