Manitoba delegation in Rome wants apology from Pope in Canada

An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, more than 60 per cent of which were run by the Catholic Church.

A group of Manitoba Indigenous people are calling on Pope Francis to apologize for the role the Catholic Church played in residential schools, and say when they meet with the pontiff later this week they will ask him to come to Canada to do it.

The regional chief of Manitoba with the Assembly of First Nations told Global News the delegation will extend the invitation in a letter they plan to present to the Pope during their meeting on Friday.

“We’re hoping that he will commit,” Chief Cindy Woodhouse said. “We’re hoping that he will come to Canada and apologize to all those families.

“He needs to apologize for all the wrongdoings of the past.”

An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, more than 60 per cent of which were run by the Catholic Church.

“We have to look back at our history and make sure that this never, ever happens to another child again and to remember those little ones,” she said.

There were 14 residential schools in Manitoba, including one in Dauphin that Frederick Nepinak attended.

“I didn’t realize until later on in life how it would affect us in life,” he told Global News.