‘Let’s think big’: Historic Indigenous delegation arrives in Rome to meet Pope Francis
Global News
The world will be watching as 32 First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives touch down in Rome for a week of private meetings with Pope Francis.
Warning: This story deals with disturbing subject matter that may upset and trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.
Wilton Littlechild has spent months preparing for what could be the “biggest birthday present” of his life.
On Friday, April 1, as he turns 78, the lawyer and activist from Ermineskin Cree Nation will take part in a private audience with Pope Francis as part of the long-awaited Indigenous delegation from Canada to the Vatican.
“It will be very emotional I’m sure for me, for a number of reasons, not just because it’s my birthday,” the Alberta representative told Global News in the days before his departure. “To finally see the day that we sit by each other — let’s think big.”
The birthday gift, he explained, will be an eventual apology from the Pope for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada’s harrowing residential school system. For decades, survivors have said that atonement must take place in their homeland.
“This invitation to go to Rome cannot be and must not be a substitute for him to come to Canada,” said Littlechild, who attended three institutions of assimilation over 14 years.
On Sunday, 32 First Nations, Inuit and Métis representatives touched down in Rome for a week of meetings with the pope, arranged by the Holy See and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The trip was initially scheduled for last December but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many international news crews assigned to cover the historic visit trickled into the Vatican last week, necessitating capacity restrictions in the rooms where delegates will hold press briefings.
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