Vatican (AP)-Pope Francis on Friday issued a historic apology to Indigenous people for the “unfortunate” abuses suffered at Canadian Catholic schools and said he hopes to visit Canada later of July to personally apologize to the survivors. To the false missionary zeal of the Church.
Francis apologized to an audience with dozens of members of the Met, Inuit and First Nations communities who came to Rome to apologize to the Pope and promise to repair the damage to the Catholic Church. The first pope from America said he hoped to visit Canada on the feast of St. Anne, which drops on July 26.
In Canada, more than 150,000 indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century to the 1970s to distance themselves from the influence of their homes and cultures. The goal is to make them Christian and assimilate them into traditional society, which was considered superior by previous Canadian governments.
The Canadian government has recognized that physical and sexual violence is rampant in schools, where students are beaten for speaking their own language. This legacy of family abuse and segregation has been cited by indigenous leaders as a major cause of the alcohol and drug epidemic that is now plaguing Canadian reserves.
After listening to their stories throughout the week, Francis told the natives that the colonial project had stolen children from their families, cut off their roots, traditions and culture, and caused intergenerational trauma to feel until now. He said it was a “counter-witness” to the same gospel claimed by the residential school system.
“I apologize to the Lord for the tragic behavior of members of the Catholic Church,” Francis said. “And I want to tell you in my heart that it hurts a lot. And I joined the bishops of Canada in apologizing ».
Indigenous travel to Rome has continued for many years, but gained momentum last year after hundreds of unmarked graves were discovered outside several residential schools in Canada. The three indigenous groups met Francis separately For a few hours this week they told him their stories, which ended with viewers on Friday.
Metis National Council chairman Cassidy Caron, said the Metis chief, sitting next to him, was moved to tears when he learned he had apologized for the long delay.
«Of course, the Pope’s words today are historical. “They were needed and I really appreciate them,” Caron told reporters in St. Louis. Peter’s Square. Today I look forward to the Pope’s visit to Canada, where he will be able to offer a sincere apology directly to our survivors and their families, whose acceptance and healing are ultimately paramount. “
The head of the First Nation, Gerald Antoine, expressed this sentiment, saying that Francis acknowledged the cultural “genocide” committed against the natives.
“Today is the day we have been waiting for. And of course what will happen in our story, ”he said. “This is a first historic step, however, only a first step”.
He and other native leaders said the church needed to do more in the way of reconciliation, but at this point the native leaders insisted on arranging the pope’s visit to ensure Francis stopped in areas with spiritual importance to their people. . .
Nathan Obed, president of Inuit Tapirit Kanatami, thanked Francis for solving all the problems brought to him by the natives. “And he did it in a way that really showed his sympathy for the indigenous people of Canada,” he said.
Nearly three-quarters of the 130 residential schools in Canada are run by Catholic missionary congregations.
Last May, Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Nation announced the discovery of 215 graves near Camelups, British Columbia, found using ground-penetrating radar. It is the largest native residential school in Canada, and the discovery of the grave is the first of several equally gruesome places in the entire country.
Even before the graves were discovered, the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission specifically asked the Pope to apologize for insulting the Church’s duty on Canadian soil.
Additionally, as part of resolving a complaint against the Canadian government, churches and some 90,000 student survivors, Canada paid billions of dollars in compensation to donate to indigenous communities. The Catholic Church, for its part, has paid $ 50 million and now plans to add $ 30 million over the next five years.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged Francis ’apology and said he hoped to see him in person in Canada.
“It wouldn’t be possible without the long -standing defense of survivors to go to an institution directly responsible for telling their truth and who narrated and revived their painful memories,” he said. “Apologizing today is a step forward in recognizing the reality of our past to correct historical mistakes, but they still need to be done.”
Francis said it was unfortunate the role played by Catholic teachers at the expense of “insult and disrespect for one’s own identity, culture and spiritual values,” he said. “It is clear that the content of faith cannot be transferred in a way that is outside of faith.”
“It is embarrassing to imagine a resolute effort to instill a sense of inferiority, to deprive people of their cultural identity, to cut their roots, and to consider all the personal and social effects it brings: the unresolved traumas that have been. “Generational injury,” he said.
After the Pope apologized, the audience continued the joyous performance of the native prayers of the drummers, dancers and gardeners whom Francis observed, clapping and pointing his finger. Residents then gave him gifts, including snow boots. For his part, Francis returned the cradle of the First Nations, which the delegation had left with him the night he thought he was apologizing.
Francis ’apology was more than what Pope Benedict XVI offered in 2009 when a delegation from the First Nations Assembly visited. At the time, Benedict only expressed his “sorrow for the suffering caused by the deplorable behavior of some members of the Church.” But he did not apologize.
It is common for the pope of Argentina to apologize for his mistakes and for what he calls the “crimes” of the institutional church. Most importantly, during a visit to Bolivia in 2015, he apologized for the sins, crimes and crimes committed by the Church against indigenous peoples during the colonial occupation of the Americas.
He clarified that the same colonial crimes have recently occurred in Catholic residential schools in Canada.
“Your identity and your culture have been injured, many families have been separated, many children have fallen victim to this act of homogenization, which supports the idea that progress has been made through ideological colonization, according to program studied at the table, rather than respect. for people’s lives. ” he says.
This version corrects the name of the first commander of the nations, Gerald Antoine.
Source: Huffpost
