Pope Francis has apologized for years of misconduct by representatives of the Catholic Church towards children of the indigenous Canadian peoples. He did this after a week of consultations in the Vatican with representatives of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis.
“I feel shame and sadness for all that has hurt you, for the abuses you have suffered and for the lack of respect for your identity, culture and spiritual values,” the Pope said.
The pope expressed his regret and asked the natives for forgiveness, as the Canadian bishops had done.
mass graves
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau spoke last year his disappointment after a mass grave was discovered at a Catholic boarding school in Canada.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Canada placed children of native inhabitants in mainly Catholic boarding schools in order to force them to integrate and to unlearn their own language and culture. This often involved physical and sexual violence.
At least 150,000 children were taken from their parents. The living conditions were bad. A commission of inquiry calculated that more than 3000 children have died, including from infectious diseases and malnutrition.
‘Historical step’
The leader of the Canadian delegation calls the Pope’s apology a “historic step”. “But the next step is for the Holy Father to apologize to our families at home. They want to hear these words too.”
That will probably happen next summer when the Pope visits Canada.
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