A group of residential school survivors is calling for an end to arson attacks on churches after several Catholic and Anglican churches were vandalized or damaged by fire following the reported discovery of unmarked graves at former residential school sites in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
During a news conference Monday, residential school survivor Jessie Malcolm condemned the vandalism while fighting back tears.
"It's not going to bring back anybody," she said.
Jenn Allan-Riley, a Sixties Scoop survivor and the daughter of a residential school survivor, said the acts of vandalism are sowing discord between Indigenous people and the rest of Canada.
"Burning down churches is not in solidarity with us Indigenous people," Allan-Riley told the news conference.
"Whoever is doing this, you're going to wake up a very ugly, evil spirit in this country," she said.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission included a demand for a formal apology from the Catholic Church for its role in running residential schools among the "calls to action" in its final report.
While the church has yet to issue such an apology, Indigenous leaders are set to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican in December.
Pope Benedict XVI expressed "sorrow" to a delegation from Canada's Assembly of First Nations in 2009 over the abuse and "deplorable" treatment that residential school students suffered by the Roman Catholic Church, but Indigenous leaders have called for Pope Francis to go further by apologizing and asking for forgiveness on the church's behalf.
The Roman Catholic Church is the only institution that has not yet made a formal apology for its part in running residential schools in Canada, although Catholic entities in Canada have apologized.
WATCH | 'Burning down churches is not in solidarity with us,' says child of residential school survivor:
'Burning down churches is not in solidarity with us,' says child of residential school survivor Politics News 1:23 Jenn Allan-Riley, a Sixties Scoop survivor and the daughter of a residential school survivor, said the acts of vandalism are sowing discord between Indigenous people and the rest of Canada. 1:23
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau again condemned the attacks on churches during a news conference earlier Monday.
"It is a shame and indeed it is something that will prevent people who will seek solace in times of grief from being able to visit their own places of worship when they've been vandalized or burned," Trudeau said.
"It is not the way forward."
Fire consumes a church at Gitwangak near New Hazelton, B.C. A number of fires have destroyed Catholic and Anglican churches across the country. (Submitted by Chasity Daniels)
Trudeau also condemned the toppling of two statues — one of Queen Victoria and one of Queen Elizabeth II — on the grounds of the Manitoba Legislature on Thursday.
"I fully understand the anger ... and the grief that so many people are feeling," he said when asked about the statues.
"But we need to move forward as a community, we need to listen to that anger, to that grief, and make reflections around how we commemorate and honour historical figures, [or] whether we do."
WATCH | Trudeau is asked about the toppling of statues of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria:
CanadianJudo on July 5th, 2021 at 23:39 UTC »
let burn churches which are 90% Indigenous congregation, that will show the world we support the Indigenous community...
Exhausted_but_upbeat on July 5th, 2021 at 21:22 UTC »
I wonder what Ms. Harsha Walia, Executive Director of the BC Civil Liberties Union and person who recently tweeted "Burn it all down" thinks about Ms. Allan-Riley's statement to the media that "Burning down churches is not in solidarity with Indigenous people."
Anglicanpolitics123 on July 5th, 2021 at 20:32 UTC »
Of course they are against this. Many of the Churches burning are indigenous Churches that have a majority indigenous congregation and a lot of them are the Churches of residential school survivors. One survivor was weeping about their Church being burnt down because it was built by their ancestor.
People who are doing this are the equivalent of people who think burning a Black Church is some how solidarity with black people when its the exact opposite.