Catholic bishops to send Indigenous delegation to meet Pope Francis on residential schools – National

The National Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Canada is preparing to send a delegation of Indigenous people to the Vatican for a visit with Pope Francis to discuss Canada’s residential school system and the role played by the Catholic Church.

In a statement Thursday, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) said it has been preparing a delegation for two years, but travel plans have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group said it now plans to send the delegation before the end of the year.

“This pastoral visit will include the participation of a diverse group of Elders / Knowledge Keepers, residential school survivors and youth from across the country,” CCCB said.

“The event will also offer Pope Francis a unique opportunity to hear directly from Indigenous peoples, to express his deep closeness, to address the impact of colonization and the Church’s involvement in residential schools, in order to respond to the suffering of indigenous peoples. and the continuing effects of intergenerational trauma.

The Catholic Church has come under renewed scrutiny for its participation in Canada’s residential school system since the bodies of 215 children were found in anonymous graves at the site of a former school in Kamloops, B.C. .

On Sunday, Pope Francis said he followed the news of the discoveries “with sorrow” and joined with the bishops of Canada in “expressing my closeness to the Canadian people traumatized by the shocking news.”

Yet he did not apologize for the role of the Church in managing over 60 percent of residential schools in Canada from 1890 to 1969. The Catholic Church as a whole has never offered a formal apology .

Some 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forcibly sent to residential schools, where many were abused. Ongoing research by the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation shows that at least 4,100 people have died in schools through neglect.

2:26
Pope expresses sadness over residential school deaths, but no apologies

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and First Nations across Canada have urged the church to apologize and release school records – a call that has so far met with what Trudeau called “resistance” on Friday.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said on Monday that the pope’s statement “does not go far enough.”

The CCCB said on Thursday it was “committed to a genuine and deep commitment to renew and strengthen relations with indigenous peoples across the country,” with “strong encouragement” from Pope Francis.

The group said the delegation would represent “an important step on the path of reconciliation and shared healing for indigenous peoples and the Church in Canada.”

“We hope that these upcoming meetings – and the important collaboration and partnership that have supported the planning – will lead to a common future of peace and harmony between Indigenous peoples and the Catholic Church in Canada,” they said.

Church leaders said the church does not have a unified role in the residential school system because it has a decentralized structure, meaning decisions are made by individual dioceses or orders.

Over the years, bishops have apologized for the role played by different dioceses in the residential school system. The Archbishop of Vancouver has apologized following the discovery in Kamloops.

Richard Gagnon, president of the CCCB, expressed his “sadness for the heartbreaking loss of the children” but offered no formal apology.

In 2018, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that the Pope could not personally apologize for the residential schools, although he did not shy away from acknowledging the injustices facing Indigenous peoples around the world.

–With files from the Canadian Press