This Monday, from the town of Maskwacis, Pope Francis apologized to the indigenous peoples of Canada for the murders, rapes and abuses committed against the children of the original peoples who from 1881 to 1996 were separated from their families and taken to the forces Catholic schools as part of the so-called “cultural assimilation” that the Pope called “evil” and a “disastrous mistake.”
The supreme pontiff delivered his speech near two former boarding schools, in the presence of indigenous leaders wearing war headdresses with eagle feathers and more than 2,000 people, including many victims. There he reported that his visit to the town was a first step in his penitential pilgrimage to ask for forgiveness for the crimes committed by the Catholic Church.
In his words, he apologized three times for the ways in which many Catholics supported “the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed indigenous peoples”, he said he felt ashamed and wanted to apologize unambiguously for the evil committed.
“I am sorry, I apologize, in particular, for the way in which many members of the Church and religious communities cooperated, especially through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that period, which culminated in the boarding school system,” the pontiff said.
The visit corresponds to the invitation made by the original peoples and the Truth Commission, who had been demanding an apology from the Church for the abuses of the schools that ripped approximately 150,000 children from their families to take them to boarding schools where they were given a Catholic education and punished for speaking their languages or maintaining their customs.
“I come to your native lands to tell you personally that I am hurt, to implore God’s forgiveness, healing and reconciliation, to show you my closeness, to pray with you and for you,” the Pope said.
The Pope had already asked for forgiveness at the end of March, when the first meetings with the original communities were held. During Monday’s visit, he recalled those conversations in which two small pairs of moccasin shoes were given to him as a symbol of the suffering of children, especially those who never returned home, and as a guarantee that Pope Francis would go with the two pairs of moccasins to Canada to return them to their owners and express the apology of the Catholic Church.
“They asked me to return the moccasins when I came to Canada, and I will do so at the end of these brief words, in which I would like to reflect on this symbol, which in recent months has kept my feelings of pain, indignation and shame alive” , he claimed.
The investigations
More than 4,000 children died from hunger, mistreatment, abuse and disease inside the residences. Most of them were buried without identification in mass graves located around schools. The graves were discovered in recent years by the Canadian authorities, responding to thousands of complaints from survivors.
Throughout the country there were 139 schools, but only 66 of them were run by Catholic religious orders, where there were also sexual abuses, which came to light through the investigative work carried out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, who called all these actions by the Church a “cultural genocide.”
“Through the residential school system, their languages and cultures were denigrated and suppressed; children suffered physical and verbal, psychological and spiritual abuse; they were taken from their homes when they were little and this indelibly marked the relationship between parents and children, between grandparents and grandchildren”, expressed the highest authority of the Catholic Church.
In addition, the Supreme Pontiff called for the Church to carry out a “serious search for the truth, about the past and to help the survivors of residential schools to carry out healing processes of the traumas suffered.”
Reactions and demands
Before the Pope’s speech, through tears some of the survivors expressed their gratitude and agreement with the words of the Supreme Pontiff.
“We are strong people, we are Metis and we were taught how to love, respect and honor. Today I feel proud, for my friends who left a long time ago and I know that they are listening to me and they know that my heart is full. I am very happy and very grateful,” said Angie Crerar, Elder of the Metis Nation and survivor.
Angie Crear stated that for the first time in many years they feel that the Catholic Church recognizes them and offers them sincere words, after so many horrors they have gone through where it seemed that no one was directly responsible.
“I’m 86 years old now and today especially today when I was seeing our Pope I really felt, I think it’s the first time I trusted, fully trusted, trusted someone. And with all my heart and soul, I truly believe that he is my Pope.” “Create said.
The leaders of the original peoples have demanded that those responsible for the schools be judged, that they be allowed access to the archives and records to investigate and that they be returned to them pieces of art that were stolen from them and that are in the Vatican Museums .
The Canadian government has pledged to pay $31,500 in compensation for the crimes, while the Canadian Conference of Bishops has said it will raise $30 million Canadian as a contribution to promote the culture, language and healing of indigenous peoples. However, so far only just over 4.6 million Canadian dollars has been collected.
With information from EFE, Reuters and AP
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