(Spanish CNN) — Pope Francis is already in Canada and has presented, on behalf of the Catholic Church, a long-awaited apology for the indigenous communities, victims for more than a century of abuse and of a policy aimed at eradicating their culture through residential school system for children.

For 165 years, these residential schools forcibly separated First Nations, Métis and Inuit children from their families, subjecting them to malnutrition and physical and sexual abuse in what Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada labeled a “cultural genocide” in 2015. More than 4,000 indigenous children died.

The first Indian boarding school was established in Canada in 1831. Its history, however, dates back to the beginning of the 17th century. At this time and until the 19th century, religious orders operated mission schools for native children which would be the precursors to this boarding school system.

In a 2008 apology speech by then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the politician said the schools were meant to “separate and isolate children [indígenas] from the influence of their homes, families, traditions and cultures, and to assimilate them into the dominant culture”, under the assumption that indigenous cultures were inferior and unequal.

This objective was not hidden. In fact, in 1876, Indigenous law was introduced to the country in an effort to eradicate First Nations culture in favor of assimilation into Euro-Canadian society. The words spoken in 1920 by Duncan Campbell Scott, Deputy Superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs, show how widespread this view was.

“I want to get rid of the Indian problem (…) Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada who has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no ‘there’s no more Indian question, no more Indian department, that’s the whole purpose of this bill,’ the politician said at the time, proposing to make attendance at residential schools compulsory for all First Nations children aged 7 at 16 years old.

What was the role of the Catholic Church?

At least 130 schools were in operation across Canada between the late 19th century and 1996, many of which were run by the Catholic Church.

In fact, the school system relied almost exclusively on churches to provide teachers, administrators, and religious instructors.

The discovery of unmarked graves in “Canada’s Alcatraz”

The horror of these schools made headlines again exactly one year ago, in July 2021, when the Penelakut Tribe of British Columbia announced that they had found 160 “undocumented and unmarked” graves in the southern Gulf Islands of the province, where a boarding school known as “Canada’s Alcatraz” had been established.

The find added to 1,000 other unmarked graves that had been uncovered between May and July at former residential schools in that province and Saskatchewan.

The investigations continued and this year the existence of other graves was revealed.

Francis’ “Penitential Pilgrimage” to Canada

The Vatican called Francis’ trip a “penitential pilgrimage.”

In April, the pope told indigenous leaders at the Vatican that he felt “pain and shame for the role that various Catholics, especially those with educational responsibilities, have played in all these things that hurt them, in the abuses they suffered and in the lack of respect shown for their identity, their culture and even their spiritual values”.

The Oblates, who helped run many residential schools, said they intended to release all historical records of their involvement. “We deeply regret our involvement in residential schools and the harm they have caused to Indigenous peoples and communities,” the groups said in a statement.

A protester holds a sign reading “Vatican Can’t Hide Genocide” as Pope Francis arrives in Canada on July 24. (Credit: Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

The Church’s apology would respond to call to action number 58 set out in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canadawhich was created to document the impact of Canadian residential schools on students and their families.

And it is, as Cowessess boss Cadmus Delorme said in 2021, “one of the many steps in the healing journey”.

With information from Rob Picheta, Livia Borghese, Cecilia Armstrong, Dave Alsup, Rebekah Riess, Nicole Chavez and Paula Newton.