It was hoped that it would be an opportunity to share personal stories about the legacy of residential schools with Pope Francis.
A group of about 30 First Nations, Metis and Inuit delegates from across Canada were holding private meetings with the Pope starting Dec. 17.
But that was put on hold due to security issues with the spread of the Omicron virus.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council and the Tapiriit Kanatami Inuit issued a joint statement on December 7 confirming the delay.
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That statement cited “the uncertainty and potential health risks surrounding international travel amid the recent spread of the Omicron variant.” It came after AFN national chief RoseAnne Archibald announced the delay at a virtual chiefs meeting earlier in the day.
A delegation of bishops met with the head of the Catholic Church in December. Among them was the Bishop of Calgary, William McGrattan.
“He gave us a message of hope,” McGrattan said of the meeting with Pope Francis. “He said you are doing the right thing by seeking reconciliation. You’re walking with indigenous people and he said, I know it’s slow, but he said that shouldn’t deter us in terms of choosing that path.”
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McGrattan hopes Pope Francis will stand in solidarity with the Canadian bishops, who issued an apology last year for the Catholic church’s role in the residential school system.
“He is very kind. He listened. He understood that we were there talking about the issue of residential schools and his eventual visit sometime in the next few years,” McGrattan said.
Yvonne Poitras Pratt is Director of Indigenous Education and Adjunct Professor at the University of Calgary Werklund School of Education.
He said that indigenous peoples are working to recover “all aspects of our religious and spiritual orientations.”
Poitras Pratt is a Métis scholar and was raised Catholic.
“I know the injustices that I now teach about and a lot of the hypocrisy that surrounds Catholicism and the ways that it negatively impacted our peoples have really made me walk away from the Catholic Church,” Poitras Pratt said.
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She said an apology from the pope would be a step in the right direction when it comes to acknowledging the damage done in the past.
“We need to see people stepping up and taking some responsibility even if they didn’t, and maybe especially because they weren’t involved in the historical injustices. There has to be some kind of movement, some kind of recognition that goes beyond awareness and into a place of action,” said Poitras Pratt.
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McGrattan said the pope also asked Canadian bishops for their opinion on when would be a good time to meet with indigenous people in Canada.
“He asked which saints are important to them. Should I consider those times of the year? I was really trying to see the pastoral nature of what this visit would be and connect with significant saints and events that might be important to our indigenous people,” said McGrattan.
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A time frame for a rescheduled meeting at the Vatican this year is in the works.
It is not yet known when the Pope will come to Canada.
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