A poll suggests that more than half of Canadians view Pope Francis’ recent visit and apology for abuses at federal residential schools as a step towards reconciliation.
Nearly 60 percent of Canadian respondents to the Angus Reid Institute’s online poll said they viewed the pope’s apology as a significant step toward reconciliation; 32% believe the apology made no difference.
Respondents who identified as Indigenous were less likely to argue that the Pope’s apology contributed to reconciliation. And 36% said the gesture made no difference.
Pope Francis spent six days last month visiting Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut for what he called a “penitential pilgrimage.” He apologized for the abuses inflicted on Indigenous peoples by members of the Catholic Church in the federal residential schools they operated in Canada.
Angus Reid says two-thirds of respondents who followed the pope’s journey and speeches in Canada considered his apology sincere.
About half of the respondents believed that the federal government, the Christian churches, and society at large had an equal share of responsibility in the creation of the residential school system and its longevity.
An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their homes and forced to attend federal residential schools, where neglect and physical and sexual abuse were rampant. More than 60% of these schools were run by members of the Catholic Church.
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Pope Francis met with Indigenous representatives and residential school survivors during his stops in Canada, where he repeated his apologies. On the plane back to Rome, he called what happened in the boarding schools a form of genocide.
The Angus Reid poll suggests that respondents’ prior views on the relationship between Canada and Indigenous peoples were an important factor in determining the value of the pope’s apology toward reconciliation.
“If you believe the situation is getting worse, then you are also more likely to believe that the papal visit has made no difference towards reconciliation,” said Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute.
“Those who believe this relationship is improving express more optimism or feel that yes, this trip was a significant step towards reconciliation. »
More than half of respondents in Canada (58%) said more residential school investigations are needed before the country can move forward. On the other hand, there are differences between generations and between genders on this question: young people and women declared that more work was needed.
Angus Reid surveyed 2,279 Canadians online, 117 of whom identified as Indigenous, Aug. 8-10. Research and methodological experts believe that it is impossible to assign a margin of error to an online survey, since the sampling method is non-probability.