Pope Francis Apologizes to Indigenous Communities on Canada Trip

Published SEP 20 2022

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The Facts

Pope Francis on Mon. issued an apology for the Catholic Church's involvement in a "catastrophic" system of residential schools where pupils were abused and forcibly assimilated into Western culture.
wapo
Speaking in his native Spanish, the pontiff said: "I am deeply sorry - sorry for the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the Indigenous peoples."
wapo
The Canadian government has admitted that pupils suffered physical and sexual abuse at the schools, which operated between the 1880s and 1997 and were attended by more than 150K Indigenous children. Many pupils also died of disease.
FOX News
The schools' controversial history re-entered the spotlight just over a year ago when suspected unmarked graves at or near former residential school sites were discovered.
nytimes
This week's trip follows an April apology from Francis for the church's role in the trauma suffered by Indigenous communities.
New York Post
Although the purpose of the tour, which Francis has deemed a "penitential pilgrimage," is explicitly to apologize and reconcile, some speculate that it won't be enough to satisfy Indigenous leaders.
wsj

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

An in-person apology from Pope Francis goes beyond what many victims of this terrible abuse could've imagined. This week could see gaping wounds left by the Catholic Church begin to be repaired and survivors finally free to resolve their ongoing trauma.

Al Jazeera

Narrative B

An apology isn't enough, victims of such horrific and systematic abuse deserve more. Indigenous leaders and some survivors have called for financial compensation, the return of Indigenous artifacts, and the publication of school records. These calls need to be heard.

The Star