Pope issued an historic apology for the church’s “catastrophic” policy managing Indigenous residential schools in Canada
AGN.News Team
July 25, 2022
MASKWACIS, Alberta (AGN.News) – Today, Monday, July 25, 2022, Pope Francis issued an historic apology for the Catholic Church’s cooperation with Canada’s “catastrophic” century-long policy of managing Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Pope Francis visited the site of Ermineskin Indian Residential School as thousands listened to his message which included and apology.
The Ermineskin Indian Residential School (1915-1973) was established by the Canadian government in cooperation with the Catholic church to force assimilation of Native peoples into Christian society while destroying their cultures, severed families and marginalized generations of Native peoples in Canada.
This practice was meant to assimilate the children from tribal communities into Canadian culture. This school policy was a “disastrous error” as the years of abuse of children piled up. The Pope said that abuse was incompatible with the Gospel. “I am deeply sorry,” Pope Francis said.
This is a first stop on what Francis called a six day “penitential pilgrimage”. Pope Francis traveled to the lands of four Cree nations to pray at a cemetery and then deliver the long-sought apology.
Later, Pope Francis traveled to a nearby powow, also known as a sacred social gathering place or ceremonial grounds, in a wheelchair. He was escorted by Four chiefs to the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School where he was presented with a feathered headdress after he spoke.
“I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples,” Pope Francis said, as thousands of indigenous people silently listened to his message.
Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission said the conduct and abusive actions, sometimes resulted in death, amounted to a “cultural genocide.” The Canadian government admitted the physical and sexual abuse was rampant at the schools, with students beaten for speaking their native languages.
The school’s goal was to Christianize the children and assimilate them into mainstream society. These abuses of children started in the 1880s and went on unabated through the 1970s. As the Pope said, this calls for a lot of forgiveness over time as he addressed many of the now adult survivors of Christian missionary abusers and government officials.
There was an estimated 150,000 kids who were separated from their families at the schools. Hundreds of unmarked graves of children have been discovered at these schools across Canada in recent years. Mounting evidence of the dead and missing occurred under this assimilation policy.
This trip follows meetings earlier this year at the Vatican between Pope Francis and several representatives from Canada’s three main indigenous groups: the First Nations, the Metis, and the Inuit.
This six day Canadian tour will include stops at other residential school sites and events in Alberta, Quebec City, and Iqaluit.
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AGN.News Team
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