Pope Francis’s whirlwind tour through Canada came to an end Saturday, and during the press conference aboard the papal plane he acknowledged that a genocide had been perpetrated against the Indigenous communities there.
Residential Schools
Pope Francis Entrusts new Relationship With Indigenous to St. Anne, Mary and St. Kateri Tekakwitha
Meeting Indigenous survivors of residential schools in Canada, Pope Francis entrusted them and the journey of truth, healing and reconciliation to three women: St. Anne, Mary and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
Pope Francis in Canada Apologizes for ‘Evil’ of Sex Abuse
Pope Francis asked forgiveness Thursday for the sexual abuse of children at Church-run residential schools, vowing “never again” and building on an historic apology made the day after his arrival in Canada.
Holy Father to Indigenous in Canada: ‘I Beg Forgiveness’
The first step of Pope Francis’ “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada involved him returning two pairs of children’s moccasins.
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.
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.
Report Identifies Abuses of Native American Children in Boarding Schools
Hundreds of boarding schools supported by the U.S. government for 150 years sought to forcefully assimilate Native American and Indigenous children into white society, a first-of-its-kind report from the Interior Department said.
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.