The head of the Catholic Church apologized Monday to indigenous people on their own land for his role in Canada’s residential schools and the trauma they endured there.
In Treaty 6 territory in Alberta, at the site of one of the country’s federally funded church schools, Pope Francis spoke to Canada’s First Nations, Métis and Inuit.
“I am here because the first step of my penitential pilgrimage among you is to ask for forgiveness again, to tell you once again that I am deeply sorry. I deplore the ways in which, unfortunately, many Christians have supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that be. who oppressed the indigenous population. I’m sorry,” Francis said, referring to the first apology he made to a delegation of indigenous people in Rome in April.
Francis spoke in Maskwatzis, south of Edmonton, on the site of the former Ermineskin Residential School, which operated until 1975.
His remarks lasted about 20 minutes and were translated live from Spanish.
“I ask for forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the Church and religious communities collaborated, not least through their indifference, in the projects of cultural destruction and forcible assimilation promoted by the governments of the time, which ended with boarding school system,” Francis continued.
“Although Christian charity was not wanting, and there were many outstanding examples of devotion and care for children, the general effects of the policies connected with boarding schools were disastrous. What our Christian faith tells us is that this is a catastrophic error, incompatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Francis repeatedly called the apology, the first event of his Canadian tour, a “first step.”
“An important part of this process will be to conduct a serious investigation into the facts of what happened in the past and to help residential school survivors experience healing from the trauma they have suffered.”
He mentioned the many invitations from across Canada that he had received and would not be able to accept.
“The words I speak on this penitential journey are meant for every local community and person. I embrace you all with love,” Francis said.
After her apology, Francis received a traditional headdress.
ANSWER
An estimated 2,000 people, nearly all residential school survivors, elders and keepers of knowledge, were seated in the gazebo — a gathering place traditionally used for powwows — where Francis spoke. Space was reserved for another 4,000 immediately outside the ring.
During the pope’s remarks, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause three times as Francis asked for forgiveness from indigenous people, said the boarding school system was worthy of investigation and was presented with the hat.
“It was really emotional and I thank him for coming here,” one woman who traveled from North Dakota told CTV News Edmonton. “A lot of times it’s hard to say sorry, and I can just feel the healing there.”
Both she and school survivor Anthony Favell said they were pleased with Francis’ apology.
“I think it was enough. I think he made it clear what he wanted to say and that’s the first step towards reconciliation,” Favel commented.
The North Dakota woman added, “His apology was heartfelt and good.”
Connie Jules, a residential school survivor, traveled from Kamloops, BC to attend the ceremony. She was also part of the delegation that traveled to Rome in March.
She said it was a more comfortable experience than her time at the Vatican.
“It just made me feel like I was going to a bigger dorm,” Jules said.
She made the 10-hour trip to Maskwacis with Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir – the First Nations chief who invited Pope Francis to the site of the former Kamloops Indian School.
“His words were different and seemed more heartfelt (this time),” Jules said.
“And he turned to suffrage. He definitely addressed the trauma that was inflicted and the shame that he felt for the atrocities that took place,” Chief Casimir added.
VISITATION OF SACRED HEART PARISH
Pope Francis returned to Edmonton and met with parishioners and members of the local community at Sacred Heart First Nations Church, where he gave a speech on reconciliation.
Bill Perdue and Candida Shepherd, representatives of the parish council, welcomed the Pope and explained how the parish combines Catholic and local traditions and was recently reopened after an accidental fire in 2020.
Shepherd, a member of Alberta’s Métis Nation, said the parish not only bridges cultures but also helps serve those most in need, including homelessness, addiction and poverty — a legacy traced to trauma from colonialism and the indigenous school system.
“Our church is a place where survivors of school trauma can come with their families and come together as an inclusive community,” Shepherd said. “Our church is a place where we will continue to preserve and revive local art and music, instilling pride in our future generations.”
“Thank you, Holy Father, for hearing our voices,” said Perdue, who is of Métis and Irish heritage. “Your presence today gives us the opportunity to face, understand, release and overcome our trauma.”
The event was by invitation only; priority was given to members of the local Sacred Heart urban community.
The pope spoke in Spanish for more than 20 minutes, deploring the way the boarding school system “contributed to assimilation” that “instilled a sense of inferiority, robbing communities and people of their cultural and spiritual identity.”
“Education must always start from respecting and fostering the talents already present in individuals,” Pope Francis said. “It is not and cannot be something pre-packaged and imposed.”
Pope Francis speaks during a service at the Sacred Heart First Nations Church in Edmonton on Monday, July 25, 2022, as part of his papal visit to Canada (The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette).
“If we think about the lasting pain experienced in these places by so many people within church institutions, we feel nothing but anger, shame,” he added. “This happened because believers became secular and instead of promoting reconciliation, they imposed their own cultural patterns.”
Francis said the faith should never have been “drilled into people” and that Sacred Heart Parish demonstrated an example of living a spirit of reconciliation at the “local level”. He added that “healing requires concrete action.”
“We need to accept each other’s history and culture and allow the mystical aspect of togetherness,” he added, “to promote the healing of wounded memories.”
With files from David Ewasuk of CTV News Edmonton
___
If you are a former Indian school survivor in distress or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the Indian Residential Schools 24-hour crisis line: 1-866-925-4419 . Additional mental health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
Add Comment