Pope apologizes to Canada for schools that abused Indigenous children

Francis, responding to longstanding calls from indigenous peoples, asked forgiveness for schools where children were forced to assimilate, many were sexually or physically abused and some have died. critical demand of many survivors of church-run residential schools that became horrific centers of abuse, forced assimilation, cultural devastation and death for over a century.

"I humbly ask forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples," Francis told a large crowd of largely Indigenous people, some wearing traditional clothing and headdresses, in Alberta, near the site of an ancie n boarding school.

The pope delivered his message in a circ le powwow, a covered ring surrounding an open space used for traditional dancing and drumming circles. Surrounding it were teepees, campfires and kiosks labeled "Mental Health and Cultural Support."

Francis added that his remarks were directed at " every indigenous community and person" and said a sense of "shame" has lingered since he apologized to indigenous peoples' representatives in April at the Vatican.

Before his speech, Francis visited a cemetery where local natives believe children were buried in unmarked graves.

He said he was "deeply sorry – a remark that elicited applause and shouts of approval – for the way “many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed indigenous peoples.”

"I'm sorry," he continued. "I beg your pardon, in particular, for how many Two members of the Church and religious communities cooperated, notably through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of the time, which culminated in the residential school system. ”

VideoDuring Pope Francis' trip to Canada, he apologized to Indigenous communities for the role of the Catholic Church in running residential schools that separated children from their parents, inflicted sexual and physical abuse and forced assimilation, for more than a century.CreditCredit. ..Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

The Pope's six-day visit to Canada, which will include a Tuesday visit to Lac Ste. Anne, a sacred place of pilgrimage for many Indigenous peoples, and meetings with Indigenous and religious officials in Quebec City and the Arctic city of Iqaluit, came after years of appeals from Indigenous leaders and politicians leader for Vatican apology for abusive schools.

The school system was designed to erase Indigenous culture and language by forcibly separating children from their families and assimilating them into Western customs.

The Vatican's apology came years after formal apologies from the Government of Canada, which established the system, and Protestant churches which operated fewer schools.

Physical, sexual and mental abuse were common in schools, which