Pope Francis Apologizes to Canada’s Residential School Survivors

(Bloomberg) — Pope Francis apologized to Canada’s Indigenous people for the Catholic Church’s role in running residential schools that tore children from their homes to assimilate them into Christianity.

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(Bloomberg) — Pope Francis apologized to Canada’s Indigenous people for the Catholic Church’s role in running residential schools that tore children from their homes to assimilate them into Christianity. 

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The pontiff paid his first visit Monday to the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, Alberta, about 85 kilometers (53 miles) south of Edmonton, where he expressed “sorrow, indignation, and shame” on behalf of the church. He will spend the next five days visiting former residential school sites and meeting indigenous delegations, traveling to Quebec City and Iqaluit, Nunavut, in Canada’s far north.

“Although Christian charity was not absent, and there were many outstanding instances of devotion and care for children, the overall effects of the policies linked to the residential schools were catastrophic,” Pope Francis said in his address. “In the face of this deplorable evil, the Church kneels before God and implores his forgiveness for the sins of her children.” 

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The pope’s visit is another step in recognizing the abuse that occurred in residential schools and continues to impact survivors. In 2021, thousands of unmarked graves were found at former residential school sites. Since then, Pope Francis has met with First Nations, Metis and Inuit delegations. 

In 2015, Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission released a final report that said more than 4,000 Indigenous children died while under the care of residential schools, which operated from the 19th century until the late 1900s. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called it “one of the darkest chapters in Canadian history.” 

Read more: Trudeau Welcomes Pope’s Apology for Abuse of Indigenous Children