On July 27, the Government of Canada made it clear that Pope Francis’ apology to the indigenous people for the pain and suffering caused by the Church-run residential schools was not enough. It further suggested that a lot of work is left at the end of the Catholic Church in the efforts of reconciliation. The official reaction from the Government of Canada came after Pope’s meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon at her Quebec residence, the hilltop Citadelle fortress.
It is notable that the survivors from the indigenous community of Canada, as well as the Government of Canada, expressed concerns over the omission of references to the sexual abuse children faced at the church-run residential schools.
During his visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologised for the evils of the Church-led residential schools. He said he was on a “penitential pilgrimage” to apologise for the role of the church in the residential school system where generations of indigenous children were forcefully removed from their homes and admitted to the church-run schools.
He particularly mentioned that those schools were funded by then-governments to assimilate the indigenous people into Canadian Christian society. It is noteworthy that Pierre Trudeau, father of Justin Trudeau, was Prime Minister of Canada while the last residential schools were still functioning in the country. The last such school was closed in 1996.
For a long time, the indigenous people of Canada have demanded that the Pope should officially apologise for the pain and suffering they had to face because of the residential schools, Catholic priests and religious orders. Over 150,000 Native children in Canada were forcefully taken from their homes until the 1970s. They were placed in these schools so that they stayed away from the influence of their culture and families.
During his address before the Pope, PM Trudeau noted that Francis’ visit would not have been possible if the survivors of First Nations, Inuit and Metis did not show the courage to travel to the Vatican and present their case for an apology. He said, “Apologies for the role that the Roman Catholic Church, as an institution, played in the mistreatment of the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical and sexual abuse that indigenous children suffered in residential schools run by the church.”
It is noteworthy that the Former Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper issued a former apology over these residential schools in Parliament in 2008. He had called them a sad chapter in the History of Canada. As a part of a settlement over a lawsuit involving the government of Canada, churches and 90,000 indigenous students, the country has transferred billions of dollars to indigenous communities. $50 million were paid by the Catholic Church for its part, and $30 million are yet to be transferred in the next five years.
The discovery of mass graves in Canada
In recent years, Canada is said to be on the path of ‘reconciliation’ to repair the relationship between indigenous people, the non-indigenous population and the government. The Church has been facing a lot of heat since 2015, when Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission highlighted the abuses suffered by the survivors of Residential Schools in its report.
It was revealed that those government-funded schools were part of the policy to destroy indigenous cultures and languages and to assimilate the indigenous children. During the period these schools operated, around 150,000 children belonging to First Nations, Métis and Inuit families were taken away and placed in those schools. There were around 130 such schools, and 70 per cent of them were managed by Roman Catholic Church. The last school closed down in 1996.
In the report, TRC mentioned how the students were subjected to malnutrition, abuse and illness. The Committee called the school system a central element of a policy of “cultural genocide”. The ‘Call To Action’ section in the report had called for a formal apology from the Pope.
Last year in May, unmarked graves of children were found at a former school site in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, a First Nations community in British Columbia. The researchers used ground-penetrating radar technology to find the graves. The discovery sent shockwaves not only in Canada but across the world. Following the discovery, other locations were searched, and since then, over 1,000 such graves have been found.
The discoveries resulted in more intense calls for an apology from the Pope by the indigenous leaders. In April this year, an indigenous delegation visited the Vatican, where Pope apologised to them for the ‘pain and shame’ residential schools had caused. At that time, he had promised to meet the indigenous communities in Canada and provide support for reconciliation efforts.
It is worth noting that Pope Francis has decided to skip visiting Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc during the current visit despite a formal invitation. Over 200 graves were found at Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.
