StarAvisStarAvisStarAvis
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Literature
  • Science

Archives

  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • September 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021

Categories

  • Articles
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Arts & Design
  • Biography
  • Books
  • Business
  • Celebrities
  • Economy
  • Editorial
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environment
  • Europe News
  • Fact check
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • Health Care
  • History
  • Internet
  • Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Marketing
  • Medication
  • Movies
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Personal Finance
  • Podcast
  • Politics
  • Science
  • SEO
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Top 10
  • Travel
  • TV
  • U.K News
  • U.S. News
  • World News
Reading: Pope Francis apologises for abuse at church schools in Canada
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
StarAvisStarAvis
Aa
  • World
  • Travel
  • Opinion
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Fashion
  • Home
    • Home 1
    • Home 2
    • Home 3
    • Home 4
    • Home 5
  • Categories
    • Technology
    • Opinion
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • World
    • Science
    • Health
  • Bookmarks
  • More Foxiz
    • Sitemap
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
StarAvis > Latest > News > World News > Pope Francis apologises for abuse at church schools in Canada
World NewsNews

Pope Francis apologises for abuse at church schools in Canada

StarAvis Desk
Last updated: 2022/07/25 at 9:13 PM
StarAvis Desk Published July 25, 2022
Share
6 Min Read
Pope Francis leaving Ermineskin cemetery in Maskwacis, south of Edmonton, western Canada. Photograph: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP via Getty Images
SHARE

Pontiff tells survivors of his sorrow while on ‘pilgrimage of penance’ for historical mistreatment of Indigenous children

Pope Francis has expressed “my sorrow” for the legacy of abuse at Canada’s residential schools, asking survivors of the church-run system for forgiveness as he tours the country on a “pilgrimage of penance”.

Dear brothers and sisters of #Canada, I come among you to meet the indigenous peoples. I hope, with God's grace, that my penitential pilgrimage might contribute to the journey of reconciliation already undertaken. Please accompany me with #prayer.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) July 24, 2022

The pontiff’s widely anticipated apology 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. I ask for forgiveness, in particular, for the ways in which many members of the Church and of religious communities co-operated, not least through their indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools,” Francis said, telling nearly 2,000 survivors of the residential school system of his “indignation” and “shame” over the “painful” memory of the treatment of Indigenous children.

He and the survivors were gathered at the powwow arbour – a space for First Nations community gatherings and celebrations.

The prime minister, Justin Trudeau, the governor general, Mary Simon, Assembly of First Nations national chief Roseanne Archibald and a number of federal lawmakers were also in attendance.

The event at Maskwacis, Cree for “bear hills”, is the site of Ermineskin, Samson, Louis Bull and Montana nations – and the only First Nations community Francis will visit on his week-long tour of Canada.

Photo: Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP

The location also marks the site of the former Ermineskin Residential school, one of the largest of its kind in the country that ran from 1916 to 1975.

Over more than a century, at least 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend schools like Ermineskin, run by the Catholic church.

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.

A monument honoring the survivors of the Ermineskin Indian Residential School displayed near the site of the school in Maskwacis, Alberta, on July 23. | Photo Credit: AFP

The school has largely been torn down and five teepees now stand at the site, representing the four nations in the area– Ermineskin, Samson, Louis Bull and Montan – with the fifth serving as a symbol of the entrance to where the school once stood.

In 2008, the federal government formally apologised for establishing and running the schools, paying billions in compensation to survivors.

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.

Before visiting the site of the school, Francis toured the Ermineskin cemetery, where many who attended the school are now buried.

“I do know when two people have apologised we feel better,” Chief Greg Desjarlais of the Frog Lake First Nation in northern Alberta, and a residential school survivor, told reporters on Sunday. “But our people have been through a lot … Our people have been traumatised. Some of them didn’t make it home. Now I hope the world will see why our people are so hurt.”

Photo: NDTV

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.

The pope’s apology in the presence of Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors, given on the traditional territory of those affected by the legacy of the schools, marks the second time he has looked to atone to the church’s past actions.

In April, during a meeting with Indigenous delegates at the Vatican, Pope Francis apologised to survivors, formally expressing contrition for “deplorable” past abuses.

Later Monday afternoon, Francis is expected to visit a Catholic parish in the provincial capital of Edmonton. The church incorporates Indigenous language and customs in liturgy. In the coming days, the pope will travel to Quebec City and Iqaluit, the capital of the northern Nunavut territory.

Source: The Guardian

Follow us on Google News

You Might Also Like

NATO Chief Warns of Prolonged Conflict in Ukraine

Iranian Protests Mark the First Anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s Death

The Journey to Derna: A Tale of Devastation and Despair

Key Takeaways from the Vladimir Putin-Kim Jong-un Summit

Russia’s termination of agreement triggers warning on Black Sea grain shipments

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Iran says Israel cell members arrested
Next Article Myanmar junta executes democracy activists
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You Might Also Like

NATO Chief Warns of Prolonged Conflict in Ukraine
News

NATO Chief Warns of Prolonged Conflict in Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg issued a cautionary message, emphasizing that the war in Ukraine may endure for an extended…

4 Min Read
Iranian Protests Mark the First Anniversary of Mahsa Amini's Death
World News

Iranian Protests Mark the First Anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s Death

Iran witnessed widespread protests on Saturday as people commemorated the first anniversary of the tragic death of Mahsa Amini. The…

3 Min Read
The Journey to Derna: A Tale of Devastation and Despair
News

The Journey to Derna: A Tale of Devastation and Despair

Once a picturesque drive from Benghazi, the road to the Libyan city of Derna has become a haunting ordeal. Fields…

5 Min Read
Key Takeaways from the Vladimir Putin-Kim Jong-un Summit
Politics

Key Takeaways from the Vladimir Putin-Kim Jong-un Summit

Meeting in Russia's Far East Raises Concerns In a recent summit between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, the United States…

4 Min Read
StarAvis StarAvis White

News

  • World
  • Advertise

Technology

  • Innovate
  • Gadget
  • PC hardware
  • Review
  • Software

Health

  • Medicine
  • Children
  • Coronavirus
  • Nutrition
  • Disease

Culture

  • Stars
  • Screen
  • Culture
  • Media
  • Videos

More

  • Fashion
  • Travel
  • Opinion
  • Science
  • Health

Subscribe

  • Google News
  • Digital Subscription
  • Games
  • Cooking
Copyright 2011-2023 © StarAvis Network. All Rights Reserved.
 

Loading Comments...
 

    Welcome Back!

    Sign in to your account

    Lost your password?