Pontiff apologises on visit to country over ‘catastrophic’ historical mistreatment of Indigenous children
Pope Francis has apologised for the “disastrous error” and “evil” of Canada’s church-run residential schools, asking survivors of the system that abused tens of thousands of children for forgiveness as he toured the country on a “pilgrimage of penance”.came during a Monday morning visit to the community of Maskwacis, Alberta – the first formal event of his one-week tour after landing in the western province on Sunday.I am sorry.
The event at Maskwacis , the site of Ermineskin, Samson, Louis Bull and Montana nations, is the only First Nations community Francis will visit on his week-long tour of The school has largely been torn down and five teepees now stand at the site, representing the four nations in the area, with the fifth serving as a symbol of the entrance to where the school once stood.
Before visiting the site of the school, Francis toured the Ermineskin cemetery, where many who attended the school are now buried.