Emotional return to Manitoba for residential school survivor following papal apology

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A residential school survivor returned to her home province one day after the head of the Roman Catholic Church officially apologized for the role some members of the church played in Canada's residential school system.

Linda Daniels of Long Plain First Nation was exhausted after a long day of travelling from Italy, but overcome by emotion in a tearful embrace with her daughter Juanita Daniels Bunn and granddaughters Honey, Shaylynn and Jayda at the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport on Saturday evening.

Daniels was part of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations that spent a week in Rome before having a public audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday. 

Manitoba's Assembly of First Nations regional chief Cindy Woodhouse and former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine from Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba were also among those who travelled to Rome.

The 68-year-old Daniels, who was forced to attend a residential school in Sandy Bay, Man., admitted it was a difficult trip.

"It was a hard trip but he said he was sorry," Daniels said of the pope. 

The pope admitted to feeling "sorrow and shame" for the role members of the church who ran the schools had in abuse that happened at the institutions and for the lack of respect shown at the schools for Indigenous identity, culture and spiritual values.

Daniels recalled a time at the residential school she was forced to attend where her older sister Marlene Peters was struck with a strap across her face and back.

"I felt helpless because she was in front of me," Daniels said with tears streaming down her face.

Daniels said her sister died 10 years ago, adding "she never healed; she took [the pain] with her."

Although the pope's apology — "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" — is allowing Daniels herself to heal a little, she knows others aren't ready to accept it.

"There was a lot of anger and there still will always be a lot of anger," she said. "We can forgive but we will never forget what's happened to all of us."

The pope said he hoped to visit Canada around the church's Feast of St. Anne, which is July 26, but which exact parts of the country he will visit remain unknown.