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 prime minister, Justin Trudeau, the governor general, Mary Simon, the Assembly of First Nations national chief, RoseAnne Archibald, and a number of federal lawmakers were also in attendance. “It’s a special moment for survivors,” said Phil Fontaine, a residential school survivor and former Assembly of First Nations national chief, who was at the event.
Survivors of the school have testified about physical abuse as well as punishment for speaking their mother tongue. At least 15 children died while attending the school, including three of tuberculosis in 1903. A government survey in the 1920s found that half of the pupils at the school were infected with tuberculosis, according to the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.
While both the Protestant and Anglican churches ran schools, the majority, nearly 130, were operated by the Catholic church. Yet the Vatican for years had repeatedly resisted calls for a papal apology. Ahead of the pope’s remarks, a banner bearing the names of more than 4,000 children who died in the residential school system was unfurled on the arbour grounds.
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