MASKWACIS, Alta. (AP) — Pope Francis has apologized for the Catholic Church’s cooperation with Canada’s “devastating” policy of residential schools, saying the forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples into Christian society destroyed their cultures, separated their families and marginalized generations in a way that is still felt today.
“I humbly ask forgiveness for the wrong done by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples,” Francis said near the site of the now largely demolished former Ermineskin Indian Residential School, on the lands of four Cree nations south of Edmonton, Alberta.
The long-awaited apology opened Francis’ week-long “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada, which aims to help the Church on its path of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and help victims heal.
Francis’s words on Monday went beyond his earlier apologies for the “deplorable” acts of the missionaries and instead took responsibility for the Church’s institutional cooperation with the “catastrophic” policy of assimilation, which, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, amounts to “cultural genocide”. ”
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s previous story follows below.
MASKWACIS, Alta. (AP) — Pope Francis arrived at the site of a former Indian residential school on Monday to issue a long-awaited apology for the role of the Catholic Church in Canada’s policy of forced assimilation of Indigenous peoples into society. Christianity that has led to generations of trauma and abuse.
Clasping his hands under his chin, Francis prayed in a cemetery near the site of the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School, now largely demolished, before being escorted by four chiefs to a gathering of thousands of Aboriginal people. After the traditional indigenous hand drum played and sang to welcome Francis, the pope prayed in silence and the sun rose after a morning of rain.
One of the event’s hosts, Chief Randy Ermineskin of the Ermineskin Cree Nation, waited for the pope in a nearby parking lot and gave an update on the day’s historical significance.
“My late family members are no longer here with us, my parents went to residential school, I went to residential school,” he told The Associated Press, wearing a traditional Cree feathered headdress. “I know they are with me, they are listening, they are watching.”
Many in the crowd wore traditional clothing, including ribbon skirts and Aboriginal-patterned vests. Others donned orange shirts, which have become a symbol of residential school survivors, recalling the story of a woman who remembered that her favorite orange shirt, given to her by her grandmother, had been confiscated from her arrived at a boarding school and replaced by a uniform.
Upon his arrival in Edmonton, the capital of Albert’as, on Sunday, Francis was greeted by representatives of Canada’s three major Indigenous groups – First Nations, Métis and Inuit – as well as political and religious dignitaries. During the welcoming ceremony, Francis kissed the hand of residential school survivor, Elder Alma Desjarlais of Frog Lake First Nations, a gesture of humility and deference he has used in the past. during meetings with Holocaust survivors.
The Canadian government has admitted physical and sexual abuse was endemic in government-funded Christian schools that operated from the 19th century to the 1970s. Some 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend in the purpose of isolating them from the influence of their homes, native languages and cultures and assimilating them into the Christian society of Canada.
Catholic religious orders operated 66 of Canada’s 139 residential schools, where thousands of children died of disease, fire, and other causes.
Francis’ six-day trip — which will also include other sites in Alberta, as well as Quebec City and Iqaluit, Nunavut, in the Far North — follows meetings he held in the spring at the Vatican with First Nations, Métis and Inuit delegations. These meetings culminated in a historic apology on April 1 for “deplorable” abuses committed by some Catholic missionaries in residential schools.
The Americas’ first pope was determined to make the trip, even though torn knee ligaments forced him to cancel a visit earlier this month to Africa. Francis, 85, called it a ‘penitential pilgrimage’ to help the Catholic Church reconcile with Indigenous peoples and help them heal from what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called ‘cultural genocide’ .
That same commission report asked Francis to apologize for abuses on Canadian soil, a request he fulfilled with the trip.
Thousands of children died from disease, fires and other causes. The discovery of hundreds of potential burial sites in former schools over the past year has drawn international attention to the legacy of the schools in Canada and their counterparts in the United States.
Maskwacis, about an hour south of Edmonton, is the hub of four Cree nations.
Event organizers said they would do everything possible to ensure survivors could attend the event. Many will travel from park-and-ride lots, and organizers recognize that many survivors are elderly and will need accessible vehicles, diabetic-friendly snacks and other amenities.
Catholics operated the majority of Canadian schools, while various Protestant denominations operated others in conjunction with the government.
As part of a lawsuit settlement involving the government, churches and approximately 90,000 surviving students, Canada paid reparations amounting to billions of dollars transferred to Indigenous communities. The Catholic Church in Canada says its dioceses and religious orders have provided more than $50 million in cash and in-kind, and hopes to add another $30 million over the next five years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who apologized last year for “incredibly harmful government policy” in organizing the residential school system, will also attend the Maskwacis event with other government officials.
In Maskwacis, the old school that Francis visits has been replaced by a school system operated by the four local Cree Nations. The program affirms the once suppressed indigenous culture.
Chief Greg Desjarlais of Frog Lake First Nation in northern Alberta, a survivor of the school, said after the Pope’s arrival on Sunday there were “mixed emotions across this country” at the during his visit.
“I am thinking today of the young people who have not returned home and who are buried around the boarding schools,” he said during a press conference after the welcoming ceremony at the airport. But he expressed optimism that the visit can begin to bring reconciliation.
“I know when two people have apologized, we feel better,” he said. “But our people have been through a lot. … Our people have been traumatized. Some of them did not return home. Now I hope the world will understand why our people are so hurt.
On Monday afternoon, Francis is scheduled to visit the Church of the Sacred Heart of the First Peoples, a Catholic parish in Edmonton oriented toward Indigenous peoples and culture. The church, whose sanctuary was dedicated last week after being restored after a fire, incorporates indigenous language and customs into the liturgy.
“I never thought in my life that I would see a pope here at Sacred Heart Church,” said Fernie Marty, who holds the title of elder at the church. “And now we have this opportunity.”
During Francis’ visit, the church will display the clothing, bread and other supplies it regularly provides to those in need, including much of Edmonton’s urban Aboriginal population estimated at 75,000.
The visit will be a “meeting” that will help “people know what we are, who we are”, said its pastor, the Reverend Jesu Susai.
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Associated Press reporters Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
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