Indigenous leaders are offering mixed reactions to Pope Francis’ planned visit this summer, with some welcoming the pontiff’s trip to Canada, while others are disappointed that he will not travel to certain parts of the country.
The Vatican announced on Friday that the pope will stop in Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut from July 24 to 29.
The news comes more than a month after he apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the Canadian school system and promised to travel to the country.
He had previously met in private with delegates from the First Nations, Inuit and mestizos, and survivors of residential schools. Indigenous delegates also told the pope that they expected him to apologize on Canadian soil.
While some say they hope the pope’s visit will be a step towards reconciliation, others are disappointed that he will not travel to provinces like Saskatchewan, where many of Canada’s housing schools are located.
“We had hope and prayer that he would come and apologize to one of our residential schools,” Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, which represents the first 74 nations in Saskatchewan, told CTV’s Power Play on Friday. .
“Within one of our treaty territories, on one of our first nations, where it would obviously have a significant impact on survivors, descendants and families,”
At age 85, the pope is limited in how he can travel, said Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, who serves as the travel’s general coordinator.
The pope cannot ride helicopters or be in a vehicle for more than an hour and must rest between events.
“Honestly, when everything is said and done, actions are more important for the healing journey,” Cameron said.
This includes the immediate return of local cultural objects and records stored in the Vatican, the construction of medical and wellness centers in former housing schools, and those who have committed crimes in housing schools to be “brought to justice”, he said. .
Meanwhile, the president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, David Chartrand, told CTV News Winnipeg that he was disappointed that the pope would not stop in Winnipeg either.
A separate delegation from Manitoba Metis met with the pope separately after his apology.
“It was a disappointment in my heart and for all the mestizos of the Red River … for our nation,” Chartran said.
More than 150,000 children of the first nations, mestizos and Inuit, were mostly forced to leave their families to attend residential schools from the late 1800s to 1996.
The aim of the institutions was to replace the local language and culture with English and Christian beliefs.
Administered and funded by the federal government, churches and religious organizations largely ran the institutions.
Grand Leader Remy Vincent of the Huron-Vendat nation in Wendyke, Quebec, said Friday’s announcement was relatively well received.
“We should expect nothing less from the church than to come to our territories here, in Quebec and Canada, to apologize to the first nations for the horrors that have been committed and brought to light in recent years,” he said. .
Grand Chief George Arkand of the Confederation of Six First Nations of the Treaty, which works with the Holy See to plan the Pope’s station in Alberta, said he acknowledged the impact the visit would have on survivors, their families and communities.
Edmonton, one of the cities the pope plans to visit, is part of Treaty 6, which covers central Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“I hope that we are on the path to healing and that the truths of the survivors are confirmed by this historic visit to our territories,” Arkand said.
The Union of Indian Chiefs of British Columbia has called for the trip to include the site of the former Kamloops residential school, where potential graves were discovered almost a year ago.
Since then, many unmarked graves have been found in former residential schools.
The head of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation, Rosan Casimir, said the pope had missed an opportunity to hear directly from survivors of the former housing school in Kamloops.
“While we understand the vastness of Canada and the need to make the trip to Canada manageable for him, it is unfortunate that he will not be able to come to the Kamloops Residential School, the country’s largest residential school run by Catholics. Church, “said Casimir.
“(Survivors) must witness a real, meaningful apology from the highest level, from the Pope himself.”
Speaking to reporters in French on Friday, Crown and Indigenous Relations Minister Mark Miller welcomed the pope’s planned visit as an opportunity to speak with survivors.
With files from CTV News Winnipeg and Canadian Press
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If you are a former student at a housing school in distress or have been affected by the housing school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Housing Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 or the Indian Housing School. school Toll-free telephone line of the Survivors Society at 1-800-721-0066.
Additional mental health support and indigenous resources are available here.
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