Indigenous leaders seek apology as Pope plans Canadian visit
Global News
There has not been a papal visit to Canada since Pope John Paul II came for World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002. John Paul II was the first pope to come to Canada in 1984.
The Vatican says Pope Francis is willing to visit Canada where Indigenous leaders have been calling on him to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools.
The Vatican said in a statement that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops invited the Pope to travel to Canada in the “context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.”
The statement said the Pope indicated his “willingness” to do so at an undetermined date.
The development comes ahead of a trip to the Vatican that First Nations, Metis and Inuit leaders plan to make in December to meet with the Pope in the hope of securing an apology.
Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme said a papal visit would be a step toward reconciliation. But he said it would have to come with an apology for the church’s role in residential schools to verify and validate the pain many survivors still live with today.
“An apology is the beginning,” Delorme said. “An apology is required, and the rebuilding of a relationship would follow the apology.”
The Saskatchewan First Nation made international headlines earlier this year with the discovery of potentially 751 unmarked graves near the former Catholic-run Marieval Indian Residential School.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald echoed the call for a “long overdue” apology. In a post on social media, she added that there should also be criminal charges and reparations.
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