CSDC 471

The relationship of indigenous peoples to their lands and resources deserves particular attention, since it is a fundamental expression of their identity.⁹⁹⁶ Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, Manaus (10 July 1980): AAS 72AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 72 (1980) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1980), 960-961. Due to powerful agro-industrial interests or the powerful processes of assimilation and urbanization, many of these peoples have already lost or risk losing the lands on which they live,⁹⁹⁷ Cf. John Paul II, Homily at the Liturgy of the Word with the Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon Valley (5 February 1985), 4: AAS 77AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 77 (1985) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1985), 897- 898; cf. also Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a Better Distribution of Land. The Challenge of Agrarian Reform (23 November 1997), 11, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Vatican City 1997, p. 17. lands tied to the very meaning of their existence.⁹⁹⁸ Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 4: AAS 79AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 974-975. The rights of indigenous peoples must be appropriately protected.⁹⁹⁹ Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Guatemala (7 March 1983), 4: AAS 75AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 75 (1983) at vatican.va — list of its scanned parts (1983), 742-743; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada (18 September 1984), 7-8: AAS 77AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See) (1988), 421-422; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador (31 January 1985), II,1: AAS 77AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 77 (1985) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1985), 861; John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 10: AAS 79AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 976-977. These peoples offer an example of a life lived in harmony with the environment that they have come to know well and to preserve.¹⁰⁰⁰ Cf. John Paul II, Address to the Indigenous Peoples of Australia (29 November 1986), 4: AAS 79AAS — Acta Apostolicae Sedis (official gazette of the Holy See)Volume 79 (1987) at vatican.va — scanned PDF (1987), 974-975; John Paul II, Address to Native Americans (14 September 1987), 4: L'Osservatore Romano, English edition, 21 September 1987, p. 21. Their extraordinary experience, which is an irreplaceable resource for all humanity, runs the risk of being lost together with the environment from which they originate.