Pope Francis wrapped up his Canadian visit Friday night in Iqaluit with an outdoor public address to a crowd of both admirers and critics and again offered an apology for the “evil done by not a few Catholics” involved in Canada’s residential school system.
“I want to tell you how sorry I am,” he said.
The roughly four-hour visit – which ran more than an hour longer than planned – included private meetings with residential school survivors as well as public performances by traditional singers and drummers. It culminated in the Pope’s public speech to a local primary school.
There were tears and applause when the pope finished speaking, with some people shouting “we love you!” at the pontiff. Elsewhere in the crowd, some spectators held signs protesting boarding schools and the Doctrine of Discovery.
People attend a public event for Pope Francis outside Nakasuk Elementary School in Iqaluit on Friday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
The trip to Iqaluit marks the first papal visit to Canada’s newest territory and, for some, a potential turning point in the centuries-long relationship between the Catholic Church and Canada’s Inuit.
“I’m very happy that Pope Francis can come here and I’m happy that I can see this,” Ooleepika Veevee told CBC News in Inuktitut on Friday. Veevee was in Iqaluit on Friday, and two days ago she was also in Quebec City for the Pope’s visit there.
“He came all the way from Rome to come and apologize,” she said.
Pope Francis meets with alumni of the residential school in the plaza of Nakasuk Elementary School on Friday. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)
Raigeli Alorut, also from Iqaluit, told CBC News in Inuktitut that she was there to honor her parents and other relatives “who are no longer here.” She said her parents were sent from Iqaluit to Churchill, Manchester, and although they eventually returned, their lives were changed forever.
“They never talked about anything, about their experiences. Because they hurt inside,” Alorut said.
“I have been affected, my children and also my grandchildren. Because it is an intergenerational trauma. Many who never went to boarding school are also affected by it.’
A spectator holds a sign indicating the closing dates of two schools in Nunavut as Pope Francis prepares to deliver his comments to a crowd gathered outside the school in Nakasuk on Friday. (Jackie McKay/CBC)
The papal plane arrived in Iqaluit around 4:00 PM ET and the pope was greeted by local dignitaries, including Nunavut Premier PJ Akeeagok and Commissioner Eva Aariak.
Crowds of people gathered in front of Nakasuk School soon after the Pope’s arrival. They listened to drummers and throat singers on stage as the pope met privately with school survivors inside.
Among those who spoke privately with the pope was survivor and former Nunavut commissioner Piita Irnik, as well as Tanya Tungilik, who described how her father, Marius Tungilik, was abused as a boarding school student in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, and how that experience haunted his life and family for years to come. Marius Tungilik, who died in 2012, was among the first survivors in Nunavut to publicly tell their story and hold the church accountable.
Eighty-four-year-old Mary Ajaak Anowtalik, right, with her throat singing partner Lois Suluk. The two sang for the Pope on Friday afternoon. (Keith Kyle/CBC)
After the private meetings inside, the Pope moved outside to participate in a public event. Seated on stage in front of a large crowd, he watched singing and drumming before delivering his speech.
After the speech, the Pope sat next to Governor-General Mary Simon for some final greetings before being whisked back to the papal plane to fly to Rome.
“Start Forward”
“Once the Pope apologizes, we have to find a way to move away from this. To start moving forward,” said Mary Ayaak Anoutalik, an 84-year-old elder from Arviat, Nunavut, speaking in Inuktitut, before the papal visit. Anowtalik was part of a throat singing performance in front of the Pope.
A man holds a protest sign during a public event for Pope Francis on the plaza outside Nakasuk Elementary School in Iqaluit on July 29, 2022. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Anovtalik sees the visit as an opportunity for the pope to “take a different path.”
“In the old days, if there was someone who needed guidance, they would be brought to the elders, for life skills, guidance,” she said through a translator.
Anowtalik’s comments hint at a dynamic shift that has occurred in recent years amid conversations about colonialism, reconciliation and the legacy of residential schools. While the church and its leaders once portrayed themselves as spiritual guides for indigenous people, they are now seen by some in Nunavut as those in need of guidance.
Pope Francis arrives in Iqaluit on July 29, 2022 for the final leg of the papal visit to Canada. The quick, hours-long stop before departing for Rome marks the first time the pontiff has traveled to Nunavut. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
“I just want to hear him say that the church is open without prejudice to everyone,” said Aksaktunguak Ashuna, who will be among a group of Inuit greeting the pope when he lands in Iqaluit.
“That’s all I want to hear him say. For example, to apologize and reopen the gates of the church.”
There is a small Catholic parish in Iqaluit and the town is one of 16 communities in the Canadian Arctic with a Catholic population. Some communities have permanent missions with a priest or sister, others are visited by visiting priests or sisters.
Speaking to Vatican News recently, Iqaluit’s Catholic Bishop Anthony Wislaw Krotky acknowledged that Iqaluit does not have a large local Catholic population and that more Inuit in the city are Anglicans. Iqaluit was chosen for the papal visit simply because of logistics, he suggested.
But the historical heritage of the church is outlined in many parts of the territory.
The papal plane was photographed at the airport near downtown Iqaluit on Friday. (Ryan Mal/CBC)
The first permanent Catholic mission in the eastern Canadian Arctic was established on the west shore of Hudson Bay, at Chesterfield Bay in 1912 by Arsene Turquetil.
Decades later, the student residence named after him in Chesterfield Inlet – Turketil Hall – would become notorious as a site for physical and sexual abuse of young Inuit. Between 1955 and 1969, hundreds of children were sent there, away from their homes and families. Many other Inuit children were sent to the equally infamous Grollier Hall, in Inuvik, NWT
Some residential school survivors will be in Iqaluit on Friday, including former Nunavut Commissioner Piita Irnik, who will be part of the official delegation greeting Pope Francis. According to the draft plan of the papal visit, Irnik will have about five minutes to testify before the pope.
The pope will spend about two and a half hours in Iqaluit, arriving shortly before 4:00 PM ET and leaving around 6:20 PM ET.
Support is available for anyone affected by residential schools and those challenged by the latest reports.
The Society of Indian Residential School Survivors (IRSSS) can be reached toll free at 1-800-721-0066.
A national Indian school crisis line has been set up to provide support for ex-students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.
In addition, the NWT Helpline offers free support to residents of the Northwest Territories, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s 100% free and confidential. The NWT Helpline also has a follow-up call option. Residents can call the helpline at 1-800-661-0844.
In Nunavut, Kamatsiaqtut Helpline is open 24 hours a day at 1-800-265-3333. People are invited to call for any reason.
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