The “Pope Scope”: Vatican Attacks on Western Apaches and Mount Graham

Since the 1980s, Catholic priests and the Vatican have without permission from Indigenous peoples used for telescope development a mountain in Arizona that is an ecological wonder, as well as a sacred place to Western Apaches. Despite lopsided power relations, Western Apaches have actively resisted this recent incursion into their sacred lands. This ongoing story is the continuation of a 500-year-old colonial project in which the Vatican has played a leading role. Given recent Indigenous struggles to protect water and sacred lands at Standing Rock, Bears Ears, and Mauna Kea, studying earlier threats to and desecration of sacred and ecologically unique Indigenous lands can be instructive. The narrative provided here is an invitation for scholars and activists to continue to work for Mount Graham and to find a different way forward that respects Western Apache peoples, this sacred place, and all of the plants, animals, and supernaturals that call this mountain range home.