The physical problems that the Holy Father drags on have meant that he has barely scheduled any trips in recent months, however the pope was very clear that, despite everything, he had to go to Canada since he wanted to sing in the first person the “mea culpa” for the damage caused by the Catholic Church to the indigenous peoples of this American country.

The one who owns Jorge Mario Bergoglio defined as a “penitential journey” It all started with a meeting with representatives of the Aboriginal nations of the Canadian lands, such as the Métis and the Inuit, in Maskwacis, a community located 70 kilometers south of the city of Edmonton.

In this area was one of the Catholic boarding schools which, between the 19th and 20th centuries, attempted to re-educate some 150,000 indigenous children so that they would forget their languages ​​and customs. It is estimated that more than 4,000 of them died due to the poor conditions in the centerswhere all kinds of abuse were also common.

A very significant gesture

“I apologize, in particular, for the manner in which these members of the Church and of the religious community have cooperated, in particular through their indifference, in a project of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the government at the timewhich culminated in the residential school system,” the pope said on stage from which he addressed the thousands of attendees.

In support of the affected group, Francisco did not hesitate to wear for a few minutes a native headdress given to him by Chief Wilton Littlechild, who years ago was a student at one of the aforementioned boarding schools. The gesture of the Sovereign Pontiff was warmly applauded by those present.