Residential school survivors reflect on the legacy of Pope Francis

WARNING: This story contains details of experiences at residential schools.

The first time Piita Irniq was on a plane he was 11 and was taken more than 400 kilometres from his family and the only place he had ever known. 

"I left a little Inuit boy, all dressed up in Inuit traditional clothing, sealskin boots," said Irniq. 

He was taken from Naujaat, Nunavut, along with many other children and brought to Catholic-run Turquetil Hall in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, to attend school. 

"That same day, I became a little white boy," said Irniq. 

For more than 30 years, Irniq has sought justice from the Catholic Church for survivors of residential school, and was part of a delegation to Rome in 2009 to speak with Pope Benedict. 

But Pope Francis is the one that earned Irniq's respect. 

"He took a courageous move and came to Canada to meet with the Indigenous people of Canada," said Irniq.

"I respect him for that." 

Francis, the first Pope from Latin America and the first from the Jesuit order, died on Monday morning, the Vatican said.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina became known as Pope Francis when he was elected in March 2013. 

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in its 2015 calls to action, called upon the Pope to come to Canada to deliver an apology to residential school survivors, their families and communities for the Roman Catholic Church's role in the abuse of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.

The Catholic Church ran over half of the residential schools in Canada. 

Francis came to Canada in July 2022 on a "penitential pilgrimage" that included an apology "for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples."