Happy Columbus Day......

To be honest, I'm not sure what to make of this holiday. Of course, as a Catholic of Italian descent, people tell me that it's a holiday worth celebrating. It is true, the age of exploration brought the beginnings of globalization, exposed us to different kinds of people and brought about our country. I am often told what a devout Catholic Columbus was and how he was almost made a saint. Why shouldn't we celebrate?

Yet, the facts remain that Columbus governed these new places with brutality, that even those who loved him were willing to speak to his use of torture. He set the precedent for his successors, who annihilated populations via slavery and smallpox. While he certainly was not the first to use such brutality (by this point, the Portuguese were already participating in the slave trade), it was through his example that our native populations have nearly died out. Is this someone I want to honor as a hero, in either my religion or my culture?

Let's thank God that the age of exploration did come. Let's thank God for different points of view, different opportunities, and a shaping of our values. However, let's also remember the lives that were lost in the name of greed. Let us remember the people who lost everything. And let us pray for justice in the way we approach different nations today.