The Catholic Church and the forced conversions during Colonization
Following the recent apologies made by the pope Jean-Paul II ( November 2001) for crimes committed against the Australian Aboriginals, which include the forceful abduction of thousands of children placed in Catholic institutions and victims of pedophile acts by priests, Rael, founder of the International Raelian Movement - has decided to help the Australian Aboriginals to sue the Pope for crimes against humanity at the Belgian tribunals, where laws allow one to sue any citizen from any country. Indeed, complaints against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader, have recently been filed.
Rael
states:
"The
Pope's apologies constitute a recognition of guilt that a tribunal cannot
ignore. The apologies are not enough. The
Aboriginal People who have been subjected to such abominable treatments
must be financially compensated. The Vatican, and its colossal
fortune, must compensate the victims accordingly who, for the most part,
live in complete poverty and are traumatized for life due to this absolute
cultural genocide. Moreover, it is noteworthy that the Vatican's
fortune has itself been largely accumulated by robbing the victims of
this genocide, such
as the Incas, the Protestants, whose wealth was seized during the Inquisition,
as well as the wealth of the Muslims and Jews during the Crusades, etc
Therefore, justice would be served, at the very least, if part of
this fortune was redistributed to the victims of these crimes. The
Raelian Movement will cover all the legal expenses arising from the
lawsuits as well as the travel expenses for the Australian Aboriginals
to go to Belgium to file their complaint. This action will not stop
there, since I intend to do the same for the indigenous people of Quebec
and elsewhere."
Rael - Press release - November 2001