1658939055 In Canada Pope Francis apologizes to indigenous peoples The

In Canada, Pope Francis apologizes to indigenous peoples

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In Canada, Pope Francis asks forgiveness for the

via Associated PressIn Canada, July 25, 2022, Pope Francis seeks forgiveness for the “suffering and trauma” inflicted on indigenous people at Canadian boarding schools.

CANADA – “A devastating mistake.” Pope Francis on Monday (July 25) issued a historic apology to Native peoples in Canada, asking for “forgiveness for the wrongs” committed over decades in Native American shelters.

“I’m desperate. I beg your forgiveness,” the pope said in Maskwacis, Alberta, in western Canada. Referring to the “wounds that still remain,” he acknowledged the responsibility of some members of the Church in this system, where “children have suffered physical, verbal, psychological, and spiritual abuse.”

The words of the sovereign Pope have been awaited for years by these peoples – First Nations, Métis and Inuit – who now make up 5% of Canada’s population. They were greeted with loud applause.

Traditional headdress

Shortly after his speech, one of the chiefs presented him with his traditional headdress as a sign of respect. Suddenly a woman got up to sing the Canadian anthem alone in the Cree language. A tear runs down his weather-beaten face.

“No words can describe the importance of this day in our healing journey,” said Vernon Saddleback, one of the chiefs of the Maskwacis Reservation, where the sovereign pontiff made his first journey of a journey dedicated to Native Americans.

A few minutes earlier, to the sound of traditional songs, a huge red banner had pierced the assembled crowd. Thousands of children’s names are engraved one below the other on the long ribbon.

This is part of the thousands of children who died while at the boarding school and were often buried nearby without a specific burial place and without informing their parents. Many died from diseases (tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc.), accidents, but also from abuse and neglect and poor sanitary conditions.

At least 6,000 dead children

After prayers at Maskwacis Cemetery, Pope Francis asked for “forgiveness” three times “with shame and clarity” in this first speech at the site of the former Ermineskin boarding school in the presence of many survivors and members of indigenous communities. .

“Policies of assimilation have resulted in indigenous peoples being systematically marginalized,” he stressed, lamenting that “many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that be” who “oppressed” them.

The painful chapter of “residence schools” for Indigenous children claimed at least 6,000 lives between the late 19th century and the 1990s and created trauma across generations.

The Canadian government, which has paid billions in reparations to alumni, formally apologized 14 years ago for founding these schools to “kill the Indian in the child’s heart.” The Anglican Church then did the same. But the Catholic Church, which is responsible for more than 60% of these boarding schools, has long refused to do so.

“A Historic Day”

In light rain and in a contemplative atmosphere, around 2,000 people gathered near the former Ermineskin boarding school, one of the largest in Canada, which opened from 1895 to 1975. Many wore clothing with the name or logo of their community. Others, the orange t-shirt Native American symbol.

“It was an extraordinary day, a historic day,” said Vernon Saddleback, head of the Samson Cree Nation, who said he was “grateful” during a press conference. These apologies are “a first step” but “there is still a lot to do,” responded George Arcand Jr., Grand Chief of the Confederation of First Nations of Treaty n. 6.

“It is a great pain that we have suffered. It is time to forgive and work with the Catholic Church for the future of the community,” André Carrier of the Manitoba Métis Federation, wearing a hat and medallion around his neck, told AFP.

Before leaving the site, participants are invited to deposit their “tears” in a paper bag, which is then burned, a spiritual ritual specific to First Nations.

The meaning of reconciliation

In the afternoon, the Pope went as a “friend” to the restored First Peoples Sacred Heart Church in Edmonton and spoke of “reconciliation”. “No one can erase the wounded dignity, the harm suffered, the trust betrayed. And even our shame on us, believers, must never be blotted out,” he affirmed.

At the end of the day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, present in Maskwacis on Monday, also insisted reconciliation was “all Canadians’ business”. “No one should forget what happened in the boarding schools and we all need to make sure it never happens again,” he added, urging all citizens to “show openness, listen and share.”

In April, the Pope apologized to the Vatican for the first time for the Church’s role in the 130 boarding schools where around 150,000 indigenous children were forcibly recruited, cut off from their families, their language and their culture and often victims of physical, psychological and sexual violence.

Little by little, Canada is opening its eyes to this past, now dubbed “cultural genocide”: the discovery in 2021 of more than 1,300 anonymous graves near these boarding schools sent a shockwave.

On Tuesday, the pope will celebrate mass at a stadium in Edmonton and travel to Lac Sainte-Anne, site of an important annual pilgrimage. He will then arrive in Quebec on Wednesday before completing a final stage in Iqaluit (Nunavut), a city in far northern Canada on Friday. The Argentine Jesuit, still weak from knee pain, travels in a wheelchair and his program has been adjusted to limit his movements.

See also on the Huffpost: In Canada, 215 children’s shoes commemorate the victims of a former Native American boarding school