Pope in Canada, will apologise to indigenous groups

Edmonton, July 24

Pope Francis began a fraught visit to Canada on Sunday to apologise to indigenous people for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, a key step in the Catholic Church’s efforts to reconcile with native communities and help them heal from generations of trauma.

Francis flew from Rome to Edmonton, Alberta, where his welcoming party included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary May Simon, an Inuk who is Canada’s first indigenous Governor General. Francis had no official events scheduled on Sunday, giving him time to rest before his meeting on Monday with survivors near the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, where he is expected to deliver an apology. Aboard the papal plane, Francis told reporters this was a “penitential voyage” and he urged prayers in particular for elderly people and grandparents.

Indigenous groups are seeking more than just words, though, as they press for access to church archives to learn the fate of children who never returned home from the schools. They also want justice for the abusers, financial reparations and the return of indigenous artifacts held by the Vatican Museums. — AP

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