Page "Roman Catholicism in Australia" Paragraph 23

The Catholic Church also became involved in mission work among the Aboriginal people of Australia during the 19th century as Europeans came to control much of the continent.

According to Aboriginal anthropologist Kathleen Butler-McIlwraith, there were many occasions when the Catholic Church attempted to advocate for Aboriginal rights, but the missionaries were also " functionaries of the Protection and Assimilation policies " of the government and so " directly contributed to the current disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians ".