Vatican – Pope Francis travels to Canada

The reason for his 37th trip abroad is a visit to the native people of Canada. Francis is expected to seek forgiveness from them for abuse, humiliation and violence perpetrated at boarding schools once run by the Catholic Church.

Since last year, the remains of hundreds of indigenous children have been found on the grounds of several such boarding schools in Canada. From the late 1800s through the 1990s, approximately 150,000 children of Aboriginal and mixed-race couples in Canada were separated from their families and culture and placed in church homes. Many have been abused or sexually abused by teachers and school principals.

This message was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on July 24, 2022.

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