Pope Francis issued an apology and asked for forgiveness on Friday for the “deplorable” abuses of indigenous people in Canada’s residential schools, many of which were run by Catholic missionary congregations.
“For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness of the Lord,” Francis told dozens of members of the Metis, Inuit and First Nations communities in Rome, according to the Associated Press. “And I want to tell you from my heart, that I am greatly pained. And I unite myself with the Canadian bishops in apologizing.”
The group visited Rome hoping for an apology from the pope and a promise from the Catholic Church to repair the damage caused by physical and sexual abuse that was widespread at the state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s. More than 150,000 native children were forced to attend the schools as a means to isolate them from their culture and assimilate them into mainstream society. Students were beaten for speaking their native languages.
A 2015 government commission found that the residential-schools system constituted a “cultural genocide.”
More than 1,000 unmarked graves have been discovered by various tribes in the past year after the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation first uncovered 215 gravesites near Kamloops, British Columbia in May 2021 at Canada’s largest indigenous residential school.
Indigenous leaders say the past abuse and isolation from family is a root cause of the alcohol and drug addiction epidemic seen on Canadian reservations.
The head of the Metis gave Francis a bound book of their people’s stories on Friday, the AP reported. The report added that the goal of the communities was to tell Francis the individual stories of loss and abuse they endured.
The three communities met with Pope Francis separately over several hours this week, according to the report.
Indigenous delegates from Canada’s First Nations pose for a photo with Pope Francis during a meeting at the Vatican, March 31, 2022. (Vatican Media/Handout via Reuters) Pope Francis issued an apology and asked for forgiveness on Friday for the “deplorable” abuses of indigenous people in Canada’s residential schools, many of which were run by Catholic missionary congregations. “For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church, I ask forgiveness of the Lord,” Francis told dozens of members of the Metis, Inuit and First Nations communities in Rome, according to the Associated Press. “And I want to tell you from my heart, that I am greatly pained. And I unite myself with the Canadian bishops in apologizing.” The group visited Rome hoping for an apology from the pope and a promise from the Catholic Church to repair the damage caused by physical and sexual abuse that was widespread at the state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s. More than 150,000 native children were forced to attend the schools as a means to isolate them from their culture and assimilate them into mainstream society. Students were beaten for speaking their native languages. A 2015 government commission found that the residential-schools system constituted a “cultural genocide.” More than 1,000 unmarked graves have been discovered by various tribes in the past year after the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation first uncovered 215 gravesites near Kamloops, British Columbia in May 2021 at Canada’s largest indigenous residential school. Indigenous leaders say the past abuse and isolation from family is a root cause of the alcohol and drug addiction epidemic seen on Canadian reservations. The head of the Metis gave Francis a bound book of their people’s stories on Friday, the AP reported. The report added that the goal of the communities was to tell Francis the individual stories of loss and abuse they endured. The three communities met with Pope Francis separately over several hours this week, according to the report. Send a tip to the news team at NR.