Pope Francis visits Canada to apologise

Pope visits Canada to apologise - 15th August 2022

Pope Francis has met representatives from indigenous groups on a historic trip to Canada. The visit was to apologise on behalf of the church for the Catholic residential schools.

There were over 130 of the government-sponsored schools, which existed from the late 1800s to the end of the 20th century. Their purpose was to absorb indigenous children into the dominant white culture, and to put an end to the languages and cultures of the three indigenous groups in Canada: First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

More than 150,000 young children were forced to leave their communities for the residential institutions and in 2015, a report by Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) identified the abuse experienced by pupils. Using stories from survivors, it discovered that many were mistreated, under-fed and also poorly protected from various illnesses. The report called the school system “cultural genocide”.

Pope Francis would like his visit to heal some of the wounds. Earlier in the year, he apologised to an indigenous delegation which had travelled to the Vatican, Rome, saying that the residential centres caused him “pain and shame”.

His trip to Canada forms part of a healing process, but it also follows the discovery in May 2021 of numerous unmarked graves of children. This evidence was revealed using radar technology on the site of a former First Nations school in British Columbia. As well as receiving international attention, the news shocked the entire nation. Since then, similar searches have been carried out and so far, evidence has been discovered of over 1,000 graves.

Crystal Gail Fraser, an assistant professor of history and native studies at the University of Alberta, said the discovery had played a crucial role in the Pope's current visit. She described the trip as "significant", adding it was a response to the indigenous communities’ long and painful battle to be heard.