The upcoming visit of the pope arouses ambivalent feelings among many Aboriginal people.
Some victims of the residential school system for Indigenous children and others who have suffered intergenerational trauma are ready to forgive the Catholic Church. But not all.
For them, it is difficult to let their anger go away. “They killed our spirit,” says one of them, Rod Alexis.
Fernie Marty, who studied at a boarding school in northeastern Alberta, is one of those willing to forgive. He explains that he does not want to carry feelings of guilt, shame, resentment and hatred in his heart.
For Grand Chief George Arcand Jr. of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations, forgiveness is an important step towards reconciliation. However, justice and healing must be the next steps.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowships.
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