After Pope's apology, Quebec First Nations call for concrete action from Catholic Church
CBC
Standing outside of the Vatican on Friday, Adrian N. Gunner wanted to call his grandparents.
As the Quebec Cree Youth Grand Chief, Gunner had gone to Rome to meet with representatives of the Roman Catholic Church. Both his grandfather and grandmother had been forced to attend the Mohawk Institute Indian residential school in Brantford, Ont.
He said he hadn't expected the head of the church to acknowledge the suffering and abuse that happened there.
"I was astonished," said Gunner in an interview with CBC Montreal's Daybreak, calling in from St. Peter's Square.
"I'm at a loss for words, but I feel like today is definitely the first step."
Pope Francis apologized Friday for the conduct of some members of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada's residential school system, following a week of talks with First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations.
"For the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church, I ask for God's forgiveness and I want to say to you with all my heart, I am very sorry. And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon."
More than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools between the 1880s and 1996, and more than 60 per cent of the schools were run by the Catholic Church.
WATCH | Indigenous delegates react to Pope Francis's apology on residential schools:
Gunner said it was important for young people to be present for the Pope's apology.
"We're the ones that are going to be taking the next steps after. To continue on the legacy and also to remember where we've been, and to know where we're going," he said.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Quebec Cree Nation Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty said the Pope's acknowledgment of the abuse and mistreatment of Indigenous people had a far greater impact on her than just hearing "I'm sorry."
"He really spoke about how chilling it was that there was a determined effort to instil a sense of inferiority, to rob the people of their cultural identity. The fact that that was acknowledged was [...] really a pivotal statement."
Gull-Masty was part of the delegation and said the Pope's apology seemed sincere. Now, she's looking forward to him meeting with survivors of residential schools privately on Canadian soil.
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