'I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples.'
Pope Francis spoke of his "sorrow, indignation and shame" over the Catholic Church's role in the abuse of Canadian Indigenous children.
The Pope apologized and promised a "serious investigation" into what happened in a speech at a meeting with Indigenous peoples in Edmonton, Alberta, on Monday. "I ask forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the Church and of religious communities cooperated, not least through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools," the pontiff said.
And Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has reported that more than 4,000 Indigenous children died either from neglect or abuse in residential schools, many of which were run by the Catholic Church.
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