VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis appeared on Wednesday to back Native Americans seeking to halt part of the Dakota Access Pipeline, saying indigenous cultures have a right to defend “their ancestral relationship to the earth”.

Pope Francis poses during a meeting with indigenous people to mark the 40th governing council of the the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) at the Vatican February 15, 2017. Osservatore Romano/Handout via REUTERS

The Latin American pope, who has often strongly defended indigenous rights since his election in 2013, made his comments on protection of native lands to representative of tribes attending the Indigenous Peoples Forum in Rome.

While he did not name the pipeline, he used strong and clear language applicable to the conflict, saying development had to be reconciled with “the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories”.

Francis spoke two days after a U.S. federal judge denied a request by tribes to halt construction of the final link of the project that sparked months of protests by activists aimed at stopping the 1,170-mile line.

Speaking in Spanish, Francis said the need to protect native territories was “especially clear when planning economic activities which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth”.

The Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes have argued the project would prevent them from practicing religious ceremonies at a lake they say is surrounded by sacred ground.

“In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent (of native peoples) should always prevail,” the pope said, citing the 1997 U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Thousands of tribe members, environmentalists and others set up camps last year on Army Corps land in the North Dakota plains as protests intensified.

In December, the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama denied the last permit needed by Energy Transfer Partners, which is building the $3.8 billion pipeline.

But last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted a final easement, after President Donald Trump issued an order to advance the project days after he took office in January.

The pope made an indirect criticism last week of another Trump project, a wall along the border with Mexico, saying society should not create “walls but bridges” and ask others to pay for them.

Francis, who wrote a major encyclical letter in 2015 on climate change and the environment, told the group that new technologies could be legitimate but had to respect the earth.

“Do not allow those which destroy the earth, which destroy the environment and the ecological balance, and which end up destroying the wisdom of peoples,” he said.</s>VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis insisted Wednesday that indigenous groups must give prior consent to any economic activity affecting their ancestral lands, a view that conflicts with the Trump administration, which is pushing to build a $3.8 billion oil pipeline over opposition from American Indians.

Francis met with representatives of indigenous peoples attending a U.N. agricultural meeting and said the key issue facing them is how to reconcile the right to economic development with protecting their cultures and territories.

“In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail,” he said. “Only then is it possible to guarantee peaceful cooperation between governing authorities and indigenous peoples, overcoming confrontation and conflict.”

The Cheyenne River and the Standing Rock Sioux tribes have sued to stop construction on the final stretch of the Dakota Access pipeline, which would bring oil from North Dakota’s rich Bakken fields across four states to a shipping point in Illinois.

The tribes say the pipeline threatens their drinking water, cultural sites and ability to practice their religion, which depends on pure water. The last piece of the pipeline is to pass under a reservoir on the Missouri River, which marks the eastern border of both tribes’ reservations.

The company building the pipeline, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, has insisted the water supply will be safe.

Francis didn’t cite the Dakota pipeline dispute by name and the Vatican press office said he was not making a direct reference to it. But history’s first Latin American pope has been a consistent backer of indigenous rights and has frequently spoken out about the plight of Indians in resisting economic development that threatens their lands.

“For governments, this means recognizing that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level,” Francis told the indigenous leaders Wednesday.

In the waning days of the Obama administration, amid protests over construction that led to some 700 arrests, federal agencies that have authority over the reservoir said they would not give permission for pipe to be laid until an environmental study was done.

U.S. President Donald Trump reversed course and last month instructed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with building the pipeline.

Francis’ reference to prior consent is enshrined in the U.N. Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, which was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2007 over the opposition of the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Francis’ strong backing for indigenous groups and refugees, his climate change concerns and criticism of the global economy’s profit-at-all-cost mentality highlight the policy differences with the Trump administration that may come out if the U.S. president meets with Francis while in Italy for a G-7 summit in May. There has been no confirmation of any meeting to date, however.</s>Pope Francis seems to have come in support of Native Americans, who are seeking a halt on the last link of the Dakota Access Pipeline. On Wednesday (15 February), the pontiff said that indigenous cultures have a right to defend "their ancestral relationship to the earth".

The Pope, who has strongly defended the rights of indigenous people in the past, made the comments while addressing representative of tribes attending the Indigenous Peoples Forum in Rome. He was talking about the protection of native lands at the meet.

Although he did not mention the Dakota Access Pipeline or Standing Rock Sioux or the Cheyenne River Sioux tribes, he made his stand clear that development had to be submissive with "the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories".

"In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail. Only then is it possible to guarantee peaceful co-operation between governing authorities and indigenous peoples, overcoming confrontation and conflict," the Pope added.

His comments came after an executive of the Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) – the developer of the project – compared the opponents of the pipeline to "terrorists".

Joey Mahmoud told Congress that the protest movement "induced individuals to break into and shut down pump stations on four operational pipelines", and added, "Had these actions been undertaken by foreign nationals, they could only be described as acts of terrorism."

Thousands of people including environmentalists and climate activists have been protesting against the $3.7bn (£2.94bn) pipeline, designed to transport crude oil from North Dakota into Illinois, since last summer.

Native tribes argue that the line would ruin their scared sites and contaminate their source of drinking water.

Former US president Barack Obama's administration had denied the last permit to build the pipeline in December 2016. However, on 15 February the US Army Corps of Engineers gave the final nod after President Donald Trump green lighted the project in January.</s>VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has insisted that indigenous peoples must give prior consent for any economic activity on their ancestral lands — an indirect critique as the Donald Trump administration seeks to advance construction on a $3.8 billion oil pipeline over opposition from American Indians.

Francis met Wednesday with representatives of indigenous peoples attending a U.N. agricultural meeting in Rome. He said the key issue facing them is how to reconcile the right to development with protection of their cultures and territories.

He said “the right to prior and informed consent” should always prevail especially “when planning economic activities which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship to the Earth.”

The Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes are suing to stop the Dakota Access project.</s>VATICAN CITY — Development projects involving indigenous communities must be planned in consultation with them and must respect their traditional relationship to the land, Pope Francis said.

Having the “prior and informed consent” of the native communities who could be impacted by development projects is essential for “peaceful cooperation between governing authorities and indigenous peoples, overcoming confrontation and conflict,” the pope said Feb. 15 during a meeting with about three dozen representative of indigenous communities.

The representatives from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean were in Rome for continuing discussions with the U.N.-related International Fund for Agricultural Development. Their talks aim at ensuring development projects impacting native communities are carried out in consultation with them and that they respect their land, cultures and traditions.

“I believe that the central issue is how to reconcile the right to development, both social and cultural, with the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories,” the pope said. “This is especially clear when planning economic activities which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth.”

While none of the representatives were from North America, several news outlets immediately connected the pope’s remarks to the ongoing protests over the construction of a leg of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would go through indigenous land in North Dakota. Several Sioux tribes have protested the pipeline project saying it endangers the Standing Rock reservation’s water supply and infringes on sacred tribal grounds.

Departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis praised the indigenous communities for approaching progress “with a special care for Mother Earth. In this moment in which humanity is committing a grave sin in not caring for the earth, I urge you to continue to bear witness to this. And do not allow new technologies — which are legitimate and good — but do not allow those that destroy the earth, that destroy the environment and ecological balance, and which end up destroying the wisdom of peoples.”</s>ROME (Feb. 15, 2017) — In a private meeting with indigenous peoples’ representatives, Pope Francis stressed the need to reconcile development, both social and cultural, with the protection of indigenous peoples and their territories, “especially when planning economic activities that may interfere with their cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth,” he said.

The 36-member delegation, which included representatives from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), were in Rome to take part in the Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous People Forum of IFAD.

During the morning meeting, the Pope emphasized the need for governments to pay attention to indigenous identity, and to generate guidelines and development approaches that include young people and women.

“For governments this means recognizing that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level,” he said.

Mirna Cunningham, President of the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development (CADPI), headed the delegation.

“I think the Pope’s words are important,” she said. “He went straight to the point. We have to remember that technological and economic development is not progress in itself and IFAD can play a very big role with technical and financial support to ensure that these measure are considered with indigenous peoples.”

Antonella Cordone, Coordinator for Indigenous and Tribal Issues Policy and Technical Advisory Division at IFAD, said that “recognizing and institutionalizing indigenous peoples’ rights is essential, but we also have to work to set self-implementation strategies to support local economies. Otherwise we risk that indigenous peoples’ societies will disappear.”

Members of the delegation brought gifts to illustrate the work of indigenous peoples around the world, including an alpaca coat from Bolivian Andes, a blanket from the Igorot people in the Philippine Cordillera, and a bible translated into Miskitu from Nicaragua.

On 10th and 13th February, IFAD hosted the Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples Forum, bringing together representatives of indigenous peoples organizations and leaders of partner organizations to discuss the ongoing challenges faced by these communities.

IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided US$18.5 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached about 464 million people. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency based in Rome – the UN’s food and agriculture hub.
• Third Global Meeting of the Indigenous Peoples´ Forum at IFAD</s>The pontiff has stated that indigenous groups must give consent for any activity affecting their lands. It comes after President Trump ordered the final construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline to be expedited, despite protests from Native Americans.Pope Francis met with representatives of indigenous peoples attending a UN agricultural meeting on Wednesday, telling them that "the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail" when it comes to activities on indigenous lands.His reference to prior consent is enshrined in a UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007, despite objections from the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.Although the pontiff did not directly address the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Vatican press office said he was not making a direct reference to it, his comments do coincide with lawsuits filed by the Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes to halt the project's construction.US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January for the pipeline's final phase of construction to be expedited, despite federal agencies under the Obama administration stating that they would not lay pipe on the land until an environmental study was done.Protests against the pipeline began in April 2016, many of which resulted in allegations of police brutality against peaceful protesters. Around 700 people were arrested during clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement.</s>Two Native American tribes are fighting the Dakota Access oil pipeline in a federal court, but on Wednesday they appeared to get support from a higher authority — Pope Francis.

Pope Francis, a longtime defender of indigenous rights, said that development should be reconciled with those rights, “especially clear when planning economic activities which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth,” according to a report by Reuters.

Although he did not mention the Dakota Access pipeline by name, the Vatican City press suggested Francis appeared to have that project in mind. “Do not allow those which destroy the earth, which destroy the environment and the ecological balance, and which end up destroying the wisdom of peoples,” the pope said, according to Reuters.

This was not the first time the pope has indirectly commented on U.S. issues. Earlier he criticized Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the border with Mexico. “In the social and civil context as well, I appeal not to create walls, but to build bridges,” Francis said, according to the Associated Press. “To not respond to evil with evil. To defeat evil with good, the offense with forgiveness. A Christian would never say ‘you will pay for that.’ Never.”

Building and burying an oil pipeline across four states is a question of earthly legal intricacies, not the views of the pope.

Yet the tribes have appealed on religious grounds, saying the pipeline interferes with the exercise of beliefs. The Standing Rock Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes had asked in a filing last week that a District of Columbia federal judge halt construction of the Dakota Access pipeline because it would endanger what they called sacred waters of the Missouri River.

“The waters of the Missouri are also sacred to the Tribe and are central to the Tribe’s practice of religion,” they said. They argued that the very presence of a pipeline below the river and Lake Oahe would “unbalance and desecrate the water.”

The U.S. District judge, James Boasberg, declined to stop construction, but he scheduled an additional hearing on the matter for Feb. 27.

“In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent (of native peoples) should always prevail,” the pope said on Wednesday, citing the 1997 U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The pope, who spoke in Spanish, was addressing the Indigenous Peoples Forum in Rome.

The tribes on Tuesday filed a new motion asking that construction be halted because the Army Corps of Engineers had violated the Administrative Procedures Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.</s>Pope Francis insisted Wednesday that indigenous groups must give prior consent to any economic activity affecting their ancestral lands, a view that conflicts with the Trump administration, which is pushing to build a $3.8billion oil pipeline over opposition from American Indians.

Francis met with representatives of indigenous peoples attending a U.N. agricultural meeting and said the key issue facing them is how to reconcile the right to economic development with protecting their cultures and territories.

'In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail,' he said. 'Only then is it possible to guarantee peaceful cooperation between governing authorities and indigenous peoples, overcoming confrontation and conflict.'

The Cheyenne River and the Standing Rock Sioux tribes have sued to stop construction on the final stretch of the Dakota Access pipeline, which would bring oil from North Dakota's rich Bakken fields across four states to a shipping point in Illinois.

The tribes say the pipeline threatens their drinking water, cultural sites and ability to practice their religion, which depends on pure water. The last piece of the pipeline is to pass under a reservoir on the Missouri River, which marks the eastern border of both tribes' reservations.

The company building the pipeline, Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, has insisted the water supply will be safe.

Francis didn't cite the Dakota pipeline dispute by name and the Vatican press office said he was not making a direct reference to it.

But history's first Latin American pope has been a consistent backer of indigenous rights and has frequently spoken out about the plight of Indians in resisting economic development that threatens their lands.

'For governments, this means recognizing that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level,' Francis told the indigenous leaders Wednesday.

In the waning days of the Obama administration, amid protests over construction that led to some 700 arrests, federal agencies that have authority over the reservoir said they would not give permission for pipe to be laid until an environmental study was done.

U.S. President Donald Trump reversed course and last month instructed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed with building the pipeline.

Francis' reference to prior consent is enshrined in the U.N. Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, which was adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in 2007 over the opposition of the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Francis' strong backing for indigenous groups and refugees, his climate change concerns and criticism of the global economy's profit-at-all-cost mentality highlight the policy differences with the Trump administration that may come out if the U.S. president meets with Francis while in Italy for a G-7 summit in May. There has been no confirmation of any meeting to date, however.

This isn't the first time that the Pope has criticized a move by President Trump. He has also made several comments against the building of the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

I am pleased to welcome you at the conclusion of the third Indigenous Peoples' Forum convened by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, which this year is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of its foundation. You have come together to identify ways of giving greater economic empowerment to indigenous peoples. I believe that the central issue is how to reconcile the right to development, both social and cultural, with the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories. This is especially clear when planning economic activities which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth. In this regard, the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail, as foreseen in Article 32 of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Only then is it possible to guarantee peaceful cooperation between governing authorities and indigenous peoples, overcoming confrontation and conflict. A second aspect concerns the development of guidelines and projects which take into account indigenous identity, with particular attention to young people and women; not only considering them, but including them. For governments this means recognizing that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level. IFAD can contribute effectively to this needed road map through its funding and expertise, keeping in mind that 'a technological and economic development which does not leave in its wake a better world and an integrally higher quality of life cannot be considered progress' (Encyclical Letter Laudato Si', 194). And you, in your traditions, in your culture – because what you bring to history is culture – live progress with a special care for the mother earth. In this moment, in which humanity is committing a grave sin in not caring for the earth, I urge you to continue to bear witness to this; and do not allow new technologies – which are legitimate and good – but do not allow those which destroy the earth, which destroy the environment and the ecological balance, and which end up destroying the wisdom of peoples. I offer you heartfelt thanks for your presence, and I ask the Almighty to bless your communities and to enlighten the work of all those responsible for governing IFAD.</s>During the Indigenous Peoples Forum in Rome, the pope made a brief speech regarding the age-old struggle between development and native peoples. Speaking in Spanish, Francis said that industry always had to be aware of "the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories".

In particular, the need to protect native territories became "especially clear when planning economic activities which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship to the earth".

The Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux, the tribes protesting the pipeline, have argued that the project would interfere with religious ceremonies around a lake that is sacred ground to them.

Citing the United Nations' 1997 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the pope said that on matters of faith "the right to prior and informed consent (of native peoples) should always prevail."

He added a plea for the governments of the world to understand "that indigenous communities are a part of the population to be appreciated and consulted, and whose full participation should be promoted at the local and national level".

Francis's speech comes two days after a federal judge denied a request from the tribes to halt construction on the 1,170 mile pipeline. In January, President Donald Trump issued an order to continue the project after it was effectively halted by his predecessor.

Francis has been indirectly critical of other policies of the new administration, such as a speech in February where he said societies should not create "walls but bridges". He also sent a letter to the church's leadership in 2015 where he wrote all human activity had to be done with consideration for the planet first.

"Do not allow those which destroy the earth, which destroy the environment and the ecological balance, and which end up destroying the wisdom of peoples," he wrote then.

After months of back-and-forth, it appears that the Dakota Access Pipeline will be completed and moving oil as soon as March 2017. Protests continue, although only a fraction as many as in late 2016.
At the Indigenous Peoples Forum in Rome, Italy, Pope Francis says that developmental needs have to be reconciled with the protection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territories. This is taken by some as a reference to the Standing Rock Sioux and other groups opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline.