The aura of the papacy has certainly faded in Quebec, but it still shines elsewhere on the planet. François’ arrival, greeted with indifference by a multitude of Quebecers, was followed by media from all over the world, which shone an international spotlight on the dark and little-known chapter of the Indian residential schools.
The largely deserted Plains of Abraham demonstrated this once again Thursday morning: the star of Christianity no longer shines with the brilliance of yesteryear in the lands where the church took root in French America. The giant screens erected to broadcast the papal mass live from the Basilica of Saint Anne seemed almost disproportionate for the small number who came to listen to it.
Shade was a commodity as rare as the faithful under the blazing sun that fell on Quebec. Among the crowd of barely a thousand people were a few young people who had recently been enlightened by the biblical message and had come to promote “Jesus, savior of humanity”. Some of the faithful, in this colorful audience, wore both a sweater with the effigy of Pope Francis and a monastic toga. Several sang standing or kneeling, palms up, each liturgical chant sung at the Basilica of Sainte-Anne.
Many of these faithful had crossed other frontiers to come to commune with the Holy Father. They discovered, often for the first time, the abuses committed against Canadian Aboriginal peoples during the vast acculturation campaign orchestrated by the federal government with the complicity of the church.
“We didn’t know any of that”
Traveling since 1er July in Quebec, a scout troop from Poitou-Charentes had the opportunity to meet native people during their stay – and to break some clichés that are well anchored in the folk perception that France still maintains with regard to Canada .
“In France, we still say ”the Indians”. We still associate them with the western and we still imagine them with feathers on their heads, ”admits Martin Dureux, 18. Their trip, marked by the papal visit and the media hype that surrounds it, served as an introduction to the realities of the First Nations.
“Every time you talk to the natives, you feel that they are broken, adds Camille Renaudeau, 19 years old. They tell of their pain, the difficulties that the abuse has created in their lives. »
“We didn’t know any of this before coming here,” adds Alix Savarit, also 19. “Our role will be to tell all this in France, to make known this part of the story that we do not learn”, promises Coralie Touzé.
After the apologies, the compensation
Near the stage, three seminarians are visibly hot behind their Roman collars. Italian Matteo Bertozzi, 28, Croatian Mirko Ljuba, 34, and Spaniard Jesus Fidel, 25, have all been studying in Toronto for a few years. None of them had heard of the role of the church in the residential school system in their home country.
“There have been examples of great men in the Canadian church,” Bertozzi said. Corruption also gained some once arrived here. »
The pope’s apology demonstrates a church that is “humble and able to recognize its wrongs,” according to Fidel. His Croatian comrade believes that the church must now untie its purse to repair the wounds of the past. “I have no problem with the idea of compensating the victims,” notes Mr. Ljuba. However, it all depends on the amount. The church in Toronto is not flourishing. In Nova Scotia, they have to close parishes to avoid bankruptcy. It’s good to compensate, but we have to do it within our means. »
Reparation, for Randrianamtenaima Alain Akim, must above all be spiritual. “Human beings do not only have a material dimension”, believes this Franciscan monk, who landed in Canada a few years ago from his native Madagascar.
It was while arriving here that Mr. Akim first learned of the abuses perpetrated against Aboriginal people in Canada. “We didn’t know anything about this reality,” he concedes. I’m glad the church is acknowledging its mistakes because it has a responsibility for abuse in residential schools. The pope’s visit must not be an end, he concludes. It should only be a start. »
Featured boarding schools
If the Pope drew the attention of a limited number of Quebecers, he nevertheless opened the eyes and consciences of the world to the scourges inherited from the residential schools. Abuses by the church and the Canadian government made headlines in major daily newspapers in the wake of the papal visit. The Guardian, The world, El País, The South China Morning Post, El Clarin and The Sydney Morning Heraldamong many others, spoke on all continents of Pope Francis’ request for forgiveness.
the New York Times described Canada’s residential schools on Monday as “schools that separated children from their parents; inflicted physical, sexual and mental abuse; eradicated languages and used Christianity as a weapon to smash Indigenous cultures and communities. The headlines and articles have been rolling by for a week, splashing the reputation of the church and Canada around the world.
Emelita Villanueva made the trip from the Big Apple to join Pope Francis on the plains. “We are mainly here for him,” she says. Despite a road traveled above all to approach the sovereign pontiff, the echo of the native sufferings managed to reach her. “I understand that the first peoples were left behind, explains the New Yorker, and that they faced an attempt at eradication. The pope comes to apologize for that, adds Mme Villanueva. This is a good thing. »