Pope Francis agrees to Canada trip to help reconciliation with Indigenous peoples

Editor’s note: This article contains some disturbing details about experiences at residential schools in Canada and may be upsetting to some readers. For those in need of emotional support, the 24-hour Residential Schools Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419.

Pope Francis will be making a trip to Canada in an effort to help with reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

The planned visit follows the shocking discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools across the country.

The Vatican says the Pope has indicated a “willingness” to assist with healing following the revelations of the Catholic church’s role in the Indian residential school system that resulted in the abuse and death of thousands of Indigenous children.

The question remains whether the Pope will offer an apology to Indigenous peoples.

“So the expectation is that the Holy Father will present a full and complete apology to Indigenous peoples on their territory in Canada,” said Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller. “It is welcome news.”

Added Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe writer and associate professor at the University of Manitoba: “If the Pope doesn’t do this (apologize), I just don’t see how the Catholic Church cannot just stop living in this immersive hypocrisy. … The Catholic Church is in a dire position and has no leg to stand on with Indigenous peoples.”

A date for the visit has yet to be determined. Given the time usually required to prepare for overseas papal visits, it is unlikely the Pope will be in Canada this year.

In a statement to CityNews, the Assembly of First Nations said the Pope’s apology to survivors was “long overdue.”

“The Catholic church must be accountable and acknowledge their responsibility for implementing and running these institutions of assimilation and genocide,” said AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald. “I am calling on the church to make a number of reparations while they are here and in the future. These immediate actions include returning diocese land properties and investment and involvement in long-term healing and support programs for our people.

“I am also asking the Holy Father to renounce and formally revoke the 1493 Doctrine of Discovery and replace it with a new Papal Bull that decrees Indigenous Peoples and cultures are valuable, worthy and must be treated with dignity and respect.”

The Vatican said in a brief statement on Wednesday that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has invited the Pope to make an apostolic journey to Canada “also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.”

The CCCB released a statement saying they are grateful that Francis accepted the invitation of “a pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation.”

“The Bishops of Canada have been engaged in meaningful discussions with Indigenous Peoples, especially those affected by Residential Schools who have shared stories about the suffering and challenges that they continue to experience,” said CCCB President, the Most Rev. Raymond Poisson.

“We pray that Pope Francis’ visit to Canada will be a significant milestone in the journey toward reconciliation and healing.”

The Pope had already agreed to meet with First Nations, Metis and Inuit leaders at the Vatican in December. The CCCB says the meeting will still go forward from Dec. 17-20.

“We will invite the delegation of Indigenous survivors, Elders, knowledge keepers, and youth who will meet with Pope Francis to open their hearts to the Holy Father and share both their suffering as well as their hopes and desires for his eventual visit to Canada,” added Bishop Poisson.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says reconciliation efforts must be a top priority for the Church.

“The Catholic Church has to also provide documents that they have in their possession so families can get a sense of closure in terms of what happened to their children, and finally compensation is a real question,” Singh said. “The Catholic Church is responsible and should also compensate.”

The last time there was a papal visit in Canada was in 2002 when Pope John Paul II visited Toronto.

Last month, the CCCB acknowledged and apologized for grave abuses committed by members of the Catholic community. The CCCB says it is “fully committed” to healing and reconciliation, pledging to fundraise across Canada to support that.

The apology came on the heels of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau demanding the Vatican apologize and the Catholic Church release its documents on residential schools.

The CCCB faced backlash in June for saying that the Catholic Church was not associated with residential schools.

More than 1,000 unmarked graves have been found at the sites of several former residential schools across Canada.

In May, the remains of 215 children were discovered at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The following month, the Cowessess First Nation confirmed 751 unmarked graves on the grounds of a former residential school in Saskatchewan.

With files from the Canadian Press