Francis’ apology raises hopes among indigenous peoples

Pope Francis’ apology to the indigenous people of South America has raised hopes among Canada’s aboriginal leaders that he will make a similar gesture to them. The final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommends that Francis come to Canada and apologise to survivors of residential schools and their families.

TRC head Justice Murray Sinclair said that the papal apology in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, last week to a large gathering of representatives of social movements, was “a good sign”. “I say this to you with regret,” Francis told social activists, farmers, refuse workers and indigenous people, “many grave sins were committed against the native people of America in the name of God.”

In Canada in the 1870s, ­government-funded and church-run residential schools were set up to eliminate parental involvement in the development of Aboriginal children. More than 150,000 children were placed in these schools, often against their parents’ wishes. There were more than 130 residential schools and the last closed in 1996. An estimated 80,000 former students are living today.

The leader of the Assembly of First Nations, the leading Aboriginal group in Canada, Perry Bellegarde, said in a statement that “Pope Francis has shown real moral leadership with his apology and plea for forgiveness. It’s clear that the collective global movement of indigenous peoples is making change happen and can impact even the most powerful institutions.” In June 2008, the Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a formal apology in the House of Commons for Canada’s role in the operation of the residential schools.