(Kamloops) Leaders of the Tkemlúps te Secwépemc community in Kamloops, British Columbia, believe it would be “deeply meaningful” to welcome Pope Francis to their territory during his visit to Canada.
The heavy history of the federally funded and church-administered Indigenous residential schools was highlighted last May, when the Tkemlúps announced that more than 200 presumably unmarked graves had been discovered at the site of the ancient Kamloops Residential School. Since then, more graves have been discovered at the sites of several former residential schools in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
An estimated 150,000 Aboriginal children were forced to attend federal residential schools for a century. Over 60% of residential schools were administered by members of the Catholic Church.
In a statement, leaders of the Tkemlúps te Secwépemc First Nation say the papal visit should be more than a symbol of reconciliation. They urge Pope Francis to apologize to the Church for its role in the mistreatment of Indigenous children forced to attend residential schools in Canada.
The First Nation also urges the Church to “show acts of contrition” and keep promises to disclose residential school documents and raise funds for survivors and their families.
The Vatican announced Wednesday that Pope Francis is ready to visit Canada, on a date yet to be determined. The Vatican does not say whether the Pope will offer the Church’s apology.
The head of Tkemlúps, Rosanne Casimir, maintains that it would be a “historic moment” if the Pope visited his community. Survivors would expect the Church to meet its legal and financial obligations.
“If the Pope comes to Canada without any real action, with just the goal of reconciliation, it goes silent and ignores this harsh truth,” she said.
The statement points out that Mme Casimir and Terry Teegee, regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations in British Columbia, have been appointed to be part of the indigenous delegation that plans to travel to the Vatican in December to meet with the Pope.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which shed light on the abuse suffered by Indigenous children in residential schools, called six years ago, in 2015, for the Pope to present an apology on Canadian soil on behalf of the Catholic Church.
During an official visit to the Vatican in May 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also asked the Pope to apologize from the Church. The following year, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that after careful consideration of the request and consultations with Canadian prelates, Pope Francis had concluded that he could not personally offer the apology.