Vatican repudiates colonial-era "doctrine of discovery"

Indigenous leaders pushed for the move and welcomed the statement. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Vatican repudiates colonial-era "doctrine of discovery" [Father David McCallum talks during an interview with he Associated Press outside St. Peter's Square, in Rome, Thursday, March 30, 2023. The Vatican has formally repudiated the "Doctrine of Discovery."] Credit: Gregorio Borgia/AP The Vatican The Vatican has formally repudiated the [colonial-era "doctrine of discovery"]( — that was used centuries ago to justify European conquests of Africa and the Americas — in response to calls by Indigenous communities. Pope Francis said that the doctrine "is not part of Catholic Church teaching." Indigenous leaders welcomed the statement. It didn’t, however, acknowledge Vatican culpability, saying instead that papal documents had been [“manipulated” for political purposes]( by colonial powers to justify their acts. Vanuatu The Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu won a historic vote at the United Nations on Wednesday. It calls on the UN’s International Court of Justice to [intervene in the climate crisis](, setting obligations for countries and consequences if they fail to follow through. The measure passed by consensus, which means that none of the 193 UN member states requested a vote. Vanuatu had [posed the question](, “Can countries be sued under international law for failing to slow down climate change?” Ecuador Ecuador's constitutional court has approved a request by opposition lawmakers for [impeachment hearings]( for embezzlement against President Guillermo Lasso. Less than halfway through his term, Lasso’s popularity has dropped amid a surge in crime and economic problems. The calls for impeachment were sparked by allegations that the president’s brother-in-law, Danilo Carrera, had ties to public officials involved in [corruption and drug trafficking](, which he has denied. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Divisions among Orthodox church communities widen amid war in Ukraine]( [The Kyiv Pesherska Lavra, the Monastery of the Caves, in Kyiv, Ukraine, ornate cathedral, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s the heart of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.]( Credit: Daniel Ofman/The World This month, the Ukrainian government [issued an eviction notice]( to clergy at Pecherska Lavra, where some Orthodox Christians may still have close ties with Russia. The nearly 1,000-year-old holy site is important to millions of Orthodox Christians. [50 years ago, Nixon announced the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam]( [First Lt. Jesse Rosen of New York City wears a black armband on his left arm as he is on combat patrol in Vietnam, showing sympathy with anti-war demonstrations back home, Oct. 15, 1969.]( Credit: Charles J. Ryan/AP In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War. The withdrawal, in its 50th anniversary this week, still holds an [important place in US history](, especially for American veterans. --------------------------------------------------------------- Double take Did anyone say meatballs? But here is the catch: This one is made of DNA from the long-extinct woolly mammoth. 🐘 Australian food company Vow presented the creation at the Nemo museum in Amsterdam to start a conversation about the possibilities of lab-grown meat. Vow researchers used mammoth DNA found in permafrost, isolated a key gene for muscle development and put it into sheep cells. To fill the gaps in the DNA, they used that of an African elephant. As for the taste, well no one knows. More testing is needed. [Listen to the full story]( by The World's Anna Kusmer 🎧 [A meatball made using genetic code from the mammoth is seen at the Nemo science museum in Amsterdam, March 28, 2023.]( Credit: Mike Corder/AP In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.