Pope says indigenous people must have final say about their land

Francis echoes growing body of international law and standards on the right to 'prior and informed consent'

In the 15th century papal bulls promoted and provided legal justification for the conquest and theft of indigenous peoples' lands and resources worldwide - the consequences of which are still being felt today. The right to conquest in one such bull, the Romanus Pontifex, issued in the 1450s when Nicholas V was the Pope, was granted in perpetuity.

How times have changed. Last week, over 560 years later, Francis, the first Pope from Latin America, struck a rather different note - for indigenous peoples around the world, for land rights, for better environmental stewardship. He said publicly that indigenous peoples have the right to "prior and informed consent." In other words, nothing should happen on - or impact - their land, territories and resources unless they agree to it.