Notre Dame will cover up murals of Christopher Columbus
January 21, 2019
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CWN Editor's Note: Father John Jenkins, the president of the University of Notre Dame, has announced that the school will cover up prominent murals that honored Christopher Columbus. In a letter to the university community, Father Jenkins explained that the murals, painted late in the 19th century, “reflect the attitudes of the time,” but that for native Americans, “Columbus’ arrival was nothing short of a catastrophe.”
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Posted by: wacondaseeds4507 -
Jan. 22, 2019 11:26 PM ET USA
Seems like a rather hollow gesture. If Fr. Jenkins truly believes the Catholic presence in the New World was a catastrophe for the natives, he would work to cede the university property and holdings to the regionally displayed tribe. That would demonstrate the courage of his convictions.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Jan. 21, 2019 8:21 PM ET USA
Was the catastrophe perhaps less a function of Catholic Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World and more a function of the Protestant "ethic"? Consider carefully the painting titled "American Progress" in the Wikipedia article of the same name, a painting that captures the essence of "American Exceptionalism" and "Manifest Destiny." Look at the expressions on the faces of the Indians and animals as they flee for their lives before the "progress" of the "goddess-like" Columbia.
