Trudeau says Pope should apologize on Canadian soil for church's role in residential schools

Authored by reuters.com and submitted by SensationallylovelyK

OTTAWA, June 25 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday he has asked the pope to come to Canada to apologize for the Catholic Church's role running residential schools for indigenous children, after nearly 1,000 bodies were found in two mass graves.

"I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness Pope Francis to press upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa.

"I know that the Catholic church leadership is looking and very actively engaged in what next steps can be taken."

Cowessess First Nation said on Thursday some 751 unmarked graves had been found at the site of Marieval Residential School in Saskatchewan, just weeks after 215 unmarked graves were discovered at a former school in British Columbia. read more

1/4 Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference at Rideau Cottage during which, amongst other topics, he spoke about unmarked graves found recently, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada June 25, 2021. REUTERS/Blair Gable Read More

The residential school system, which operated between 1831 and 1996, removed about 150,000 indigenous children from their families and brought them to Christian residential schools, mostly Catholic, run on behalf of the federal government. read more

A federal commission's report found the residential school system enacted cultural genocide on Canada's indigenous people.

"I have heard directly from many Catholics across this country who want to see the church play a positive role in this," Trudeau added.

Earlier this month, Pope Francis stopped short of a direct apology but said he was pained by the discovery of the remains of 215 children and called for respect for the rights and cultures of native peoples. read more

Reporting by Steve Scherer in Ottawa; writing by Moira Warburton in Vancouver

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

klparrot on June 26th, 2021 at 03:17 UTC »

Ain't no way the Pope is going to a foreign country to make a statement of responsibility for a crime against humanity.

FunkeeLover on June 26th, 2021 at 00:19 UTC »

can he make a stop at ireland along the way

autotldr on June 25th, 2021 at 23:03 UTC »

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 58%. (I'm a bot)

OTTAWA, June 25 - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday he has asked the pope to come to Canada to apologize for the Catholic Church's role running residential schools for indigenous children, after nearly 1,000 bodies were found in two mass graves.

Cowessess First Nation said on Thursday some 751 unmarked graves had been found at the site of Marieval Residential School in Saskatchewan, just weeks after 215 unmarked graves were discovered at a former school in British Columbia.

The residential school system, which operated between 1831 and 1996, removed about 150,000 indigenous children from their families and brought them to Christian residential schools, mostly Catholic, run on behalf of the federal government.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: School#1 residential#2 Catholic#3 indigenous#4 found#5