Indigenous leaders apologize as Pope plans visit to Canada | The Canadian News

The Vatican says Pope Francis is willing to visit Canada, where indigenous leaders have asked him to apologize for the role of the Catholic Church in residential schools.

The Vatican said in a statement that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops invited the pope to travel to Canada in the “context of the protracted pastoral process of reconciliation with indigenous peoples.”

The statement said the pope indicated his “readiness” to do so at an unspecified date.

The event comes ahead of a trip to the Vatican that First Nations, Metis and Inuit leaders plan to take in December to meet with the Pope in hopes of obtaining an apology.

Cowessess First Nation chief Cadmus Delorme said a papal visit would be a step toward reconciliation. But he said he would have to come up with an apology for the church’s role in residential schools to verify and validate the pain that many survivors still live with today.

“An apology is the beginning,” Delorme said. “An apology is required, and rebuilding a relationship would come after the apology.”

The Saskatchewan First Nation made international headlines earlier this year with the discovery of potentially 751 unmarked graves near the former Catholic-run Marieval Indian Residential School.

The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, RoseAnne Archibald, echoed the call for a “long overdue” apology. In a post on social media, he added that there should also be criminal charges and reparations.

An estimated 150,000 indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools over a century. More than 60 percent of the schools were run by the Catholic Church.

Marc Miller, Minister for Crown-Indian Relations, said recognition of the church’s role in schools is important to indigenous peoples.

“This full recognition of the damage caused is something that the Holy Father himself had expected for a long time,” Miller said.

There is no indication, at this time, whether an apology from the Pope would be warranted during a visit.

The 2015 final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada recounted the abuses suffered by indigenous children in residential schools run by federally funded churches. He asked for a papal apology to be delivered in Canada.

Those calls have grown louder after the discovery of hundreds of nameless graves at former residential school sites by First Nations in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Criticism also intensified as concerns arose that the Catholic Church did not adequately compensate survivors of residential schools as agreed in a landmark settlement.

NDP federal leader Jagmeet Singh said an apology alone is not enough.

“The Catholic Church is also responsible for compensation and must provide that compensation to survivors,” Singh said, adding that the church must also provide all documents it has related to schools.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement that there have been significant discussions with indigenous peoples, especially those affected by residential schools.

“We pray that Pope Francis’ visit to Canada will be a significant milestone on the road to reconciliation and healing,” said the group’s president, Most Reverend Raymond Poisson.

There has not been a papal visit to Canada since Pope John Paul II came for World Youth Day in Toronto in 2002.

John Paul II was the first Pope to come to Canada in 1984. He also visited in 1987 to fulfill a promise to meet with the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Territories.

The Indigenous Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to assist residential school survivors and their family members who experience trauma caused by memories of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.

_ With files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg and The Associated Press