The Pope on the “Pilgrimage of Penance”

In Canada, Francis apologizes to the indigenous peoples for the injustice they have suffered. Conditions in the “boarding schools” were brutal and inhuman at times.

There are four words Wilton Littlechild hopes to hear from the Pope: “I’m sorry.” Littlechild is the head of the Cree Nation in the Archdiocese of Masquasis. One of the largest “boarding schools” once stood there: boarding schools where children were severely abused by the indigenous population of Canada. Litlcha was co-chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which examined the history of “boarding schools” – and the fate of 150,000 indigenous children who had been subjected to this school system and whose livelihoods had been partially destroyed, both physically and psychologically.

if Pope Francis He arrives in Canada on Sunday for his much-anticipated visit, and the focus will be on encounters with indigenous peoples. And apologies – for the mistakes he made catholic church In cooperation with the Canadian state, he catches up with the indigenous population of the country, in particular through “boarding schools”. The Pope sees his six-day visit, which will take him to Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit, as a “journey of penance” intended to contribute to healing and reconciliation.