Canada’s leading Catholic prelate has voiced hope Pope Francis’ visit to the country this week will strengthen efforts at reconciliation with Indigenous communities, and help “turn a page” in order to move forward together.
Indigenous People
Pope Francis Arrives in Canada Focused on Elders and on Repentance
After a flight of more than 10 hours from Rome, Pope Francis landed in Edmonton and met briefly at the airport with Indigenous leaders, Canada’s governor general and prime minister before heading to the local seminary for a rest.
Pope Francis’ Words In Canada May Have Broader Reach, Official Says
Pope Francis’ July trip to Canada was born out of his meetings with the nations’ Indigenous people and was planned around encounters with them, and if the pontiff’s words “have value elsewhere,” like throughout the Americas, all the better, said the director of the Vatican press office.
Indigenous Priest Shares Practices That Will be Part of Pope Francis’ Canada Trip
When Pope Francis travels to Canada to apologize to Indigenous communities for the way the Catholic Church joined efforts to uproot them from their traditional culture and spirituality, their traditions will be on full display.
Pope Francis Describes Canada Trip as ‘Penitential Pilgrimage’
Asking for prayers ahead of his visit to Canada July 24-29, Pope Francis described the trip as a “penitential pilgrimage” as part of a commitment to healing and reconciliation with the country’s Indigenous people.
Indigenous Hope Papal Apology in Canada Will Push Justice, Healing in U.S.
When Pope Francis visits Canada July 24-29, Oneida First Nation activist Daisee Francour and her colleagues at the U.S.-based international Indigenous nongovernmental organization Cultural Survival will be paying close attention.
Federal Report on Boarding Schools Is Good First Step, Catholic Bishops Say
Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis acknowledged with sadness and an apology a federal report released May 11 about abuses of Native American children in government-supported boarding schools — some run by the Catholic Church, including in Minnesota.
Pope Francis Apologizes for Treatment of Indigenous in Canada, Promises to Visit
Expressing “sorrow and shame” for the complicity of Catholics in abusing Indigenous children in Canada and helping in the attempt to erase their culture, Pope Francis pledged to address the issue more fully when he visits Canada.
With ‘Cradleboard,’ Indigenous Ask Pope Francis to Ponder Fate of Their Children
Members of Canada’s Assembly of First Nations gave Pope Francis a “cradleboard,” a traditional baby carrier, and asked him to keep it overnight as he reflected on what happened to Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools and, particularly, to those who never made it home again.
Pope Francis to Listen to Canadian Indigenous Before Addressing Group
In three separate meetings March 28 and March 31, Pope Francis will listen to the experiences of representatives of Canada’s Indigenous communities, experiences that include being sent as children to residential schools operated by Catholic dioceses and religious orders.