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der=0 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 width=100%> Church defends role
MAY 3, 2000

In the wake of recent Indian protests, the Catholic Church in Brazil defended its role as protector of the country's indigenous people.

"Many tribes would be extinct," according to the Church, without "the work and protection of the missionaries."

The statements come in defense of a widely reported rejection of the Church's apology to Brazil's Indian population.

Since the arrival of Portuguese explorers 500 years ago, the Indian population has gone from an estimated 5 million to 330,000 today. Two weeks ago, about 2,000 Indians launched a series of protests against the celebration of European arrival to their shores, calling attention to their "500 years of resistance."

One protest turned violent, resulting in the resignation/firing of the president of the Indian Affairs Bureau. Federal officials promised to look into the actions of the police against the Indian protesters.

During a special Mass commemorating the first Catholic Mass in Brazil, the Church formally apologized. "We ask the Lord for forgiveness for the sins committed against our brothers, especially against the Indians whose rights have not always been respected," said a bishop on April 26.

Some Indians responded that the apology was not enough. "Apologies are not enough. We want respect. We want our dignity," said a 24-year old Pataxo Matalaue leader.

The Church attributed Indian rejection to "vested interests," although they did not say what those might be. The Church also said Indians are really protesting colonization and not the Church itself, saying the Church had a role in only a "few isolated incidents" of extermination of Indians.

The Church cited a case of a friar who helped a tribe restore its population after losing many to disease.

Staff and news wires contributed to this report.

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