Trudeau urges Catholic Church to step up, apologize for role in residential schools

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on the Catholic Church to “step up” and take responsibility for its role in Canada’s residential school system.

Trudeau says as a Catholic he is deeply disappointed by the position that the church has taken now and over the past couple of years. He also admits that he personally asked the Pope in 2017 to consider an apology for the institution’s part in the government-sponsored, church-run schools for Indigenous children.

Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa the process of reconciliation over past wrongs inflicted on Indigenous Canadians will be a long one.

“When I went to the Vatican a number of years ago I directly asked his holiness pope Francis to move forward on apologizing, on asking for forgiveness, on restitution on making these records available. And we’re still seeing resistance from the church, possibly from the church in Canada,” Trudeau said.

“I think it’s going to be a really important moment for all of us, particularly Catholics across the country, to reach out in our local parishes, to reach out to Bishops and Cardinals, and make it clear that we expect to step up and take responsibility.”

Trudeau says he expects the church to be part of the important process of truth and healing and to make school records available.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops announced in 2018 that the Pope could not personally apologize for residential schools, even though he has not shied away from recognizing injustices faced by Indigenous people around the world.

The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced last week that ground-penetrating radar had located what are believed to be the unmarked graves of 215 children at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

The news has sparked national outrage and grief and has led to mounting calls for the federal government and church to investigate more potential school burial sites.