Finally, Pope Francis issued an apology to Indigenous groups affected by residential schools in Canada.

The pope met with the indigenous delegations on Friday, expressing his deep sadness and asking for forgiveness for the suffering inflicted by some members of the Catholic Church.

This week, the Pope met with delegations from Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, hearing their stories of life in the residential school system.

These institutions were a program of forced integration of Aboriginal children into Canadian culture by separating them from their families and communities and placing them in boarding schools.

pain and forgiveness

On Friday, Pope Francis met with the three indigenous delegations and expressed the following:

“For the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church, I ask God’s forgiveness and I want to say to them with all my heart: I am truly sorry. And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking for their forgiveness.

The Bishop of Rome admitted to being deeply distressed by the stories of suffering, deprivation, discrimination and various forms of abuse that some of them suffered, especially in boarding schools.

“It is frightening to think of determined efforts to instill a sense of inferiority, to rob people of their cultural identity, to cut their roots and to consider all the personal and social effects this continues to bring: unresolved traumas that are become intergenerational.

indignation and shame

Pope Francis stressed that what he heard made him feel both outrage and shame.

“Without genuine outrage, without historical memory, and without a commitment to learn from the mistakes of the past, problems go unresolved and resurface. We can see it these days in the case of war. The memory of the past should never be sacrificed on the altar of so-called progress,” he said.

The pope added that he felt ashamed “for the role that some Catholics have had, especially those with educational responsibilities, in all those things that hurt them, in the abuses they have suffered and in the lack of respect for the identity, the culture and even the indigenous spiritual values”.

During the audience, the three delegations shared with Pope Francis expressions of their own cultures, including those through song and dance.

visit to canada

At the meeting, the Pope revealed his plans to visit Indigenous groups in Canada this year, although he made it clear that it would not be in the winter.

bridge is a bilingual digital platform that promotes multiculturalism and inclusion in Canada. We want to foster a sense of belonging for immigrants who have made Canada their home.

With our work we aim to improve the way of life of the Latin American people among other minorities. We want to encourage their participation in Canadian society with equal opportunities and rights. We are against racism, discrimination and stereotypes. To go beyond!

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bridge is a bilingual digital platform that promotes multiculturalism and inclusion in Canada. We seek to foster among migrants a sense of belonging to the country which has become their “second home”.

Through our work, we want to improve the social conditions of members of minorities in Canada, including the Latin American community. We want to encourage the full participation of Latinos in Canadian society with equal rights, opportunities and freedoms. We fight racism, discrimination, stereotypes and prejudices. Go further!