Phil Fontaine remains hopeful.
The former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations prepares to visit the Vatican for a second time to ask Pope Francis to apologize on behalf of the Catholic Church for the role it played in the scandal of the residential schools for native children.
He is resolved that history will not repeat itself. “What choice has the Church had since the history of anonymous burials became known around the world? The pressure is enormous on her ”, affirms Mr. Fontaine.
About 150,000 indigenous children were forced to live in residential schools. More than 60% of these establishments were managed by the Catholic Church.
Acts of aggression against children have gone unrecognized, despite federal warnings and even reports, over the decades. The wall of silence was broken when Mr. Fontaine recounted in 1990 his own experience as a resident at Fort Alexander, Manitoba.
“We were 20 boys in my third grade class. Each of them has experienced what I have experienced, ”he told the CBC at the time.
His testimony had shaken the country, but the questioning of those responsible was not so quick. Mr. Fontaine had to wait almost 20 years before receiving a formal apology from Prime Minister Stephen Harper after the conclusion of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
While the government was apologizing, negotiations were taking place away from prying ears with leaders of the Canadian Catholic Church, says Fontaine. They wanted to organize a private meeting between a handful of indigenous leaders and Pope Benedict XVI.
The following year, Phil Fontaine traveled with four other indigenous delegates to the Vatican to meet the Sovereign Pontiff. The delegation asked for an apology during the brief meeting and expected to receive one. But Benedict XVI was content to express “his personal pain”.
The time has come
Mr. Fontaine confides to have kept hope, despite the disappointment. “In my opinion, it was a step,” he says. It’s part of the continuum. “
Today, Mr. Fontaine believes that the time has come to take another important step in reconciliation. Pope Francis is the ideal man to take the step.
The former national chief recalls that a lot has changed since his previous visit.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released a comprehensive report telling all Canadians and the world about what happened at Church-run residential schools. Canada is no longer opposed to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The company takes Indigenous issues seriously, says Fontaine.
The Church started talking about a new meeting between an indigenous delegation and Pope Francis a few years ago. The COVID-19 pandemic thwarted this plan.
But the discovery of several hundred anonymous burials on the grounds of former residential schools has placed the Church in a difficult position. Things have accelerated. The Vatican recently announced that the Sovereign Pontiff is ready to come to Canada.
The situation is very different from that of the previous meeting, underlines Mr. Fontaine. Negotiations are not just taking place behind the scenes. Everything was organized in a less confidential manner.
The Pope will allow audiences of one hour for each First Nations, Métis and Inuit group, and another one hour for the entire delegation. A document will be presented to guide the Church and the Pope. “It is important that we do not just talk to the Holy Father. You have to leave something to him, ”explains Mr. Fontaine.
The guide will point out that Indigenous people hope to receive a papal apology on Canadian soil. He will explain the importance of obtaining records from these residential schools.
While a formal apology seems prominent, the reconciliation process is still in its early stages. “When that is done, we can begin to have very serious discussions on the next steps,” concludes Mr. Fontaine.