2023-07-29 21:04:11
A year ago, Pope Francis made his apostolic visit to Canada. It was a six-day “pilgrimage of penance” to encourage reconciliation between the Catholic Church and indigenous peoples, following the dark period of boarding schools in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A year later, great progress has been made.
A new chapter has opened in Canadian history, even if the painful page for boarding schools has not disappeared. The process of reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and the Catholic Church had begun prior to the Pope’s Apostolic Visit, when a delegation – made up of three Metis, Inuit and First Nations groups – was received in the Vatican from March 28 to April 1, 2022.
On that occasion, Pope Francis offered his apologies, repeated during his visit, and said in Maskwacis: “I am sad. I ask forgiveness, especially, for the way in which many members of the Church and monastic communities have cooperated, even with indifference, in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation by The governments of the time, which led to the system of boarding schools.In these educational institutions established by the Canadian government and run by the Catholic Church, many Aboriginal children suffered abuse, exploitation, and sometimes even death.During his visit, which included many pauses, The Pope also met with indigenous leaders and victims of these former boarding schools.On July 26, the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Pope Francis also went to the shores of Lake St. Anne to take part in the pilgrimage that takes place every year in honor of the “grandmother of Jesus”, to whom the indigenous people are dedicated Deep homage.
“Everyone was impressed by the Holy Father’s friendliness and fraternal attitude, his calm and open approach,” recalls Monsignor Raymond Poisson, President of the Conference of Bishops of Canada and Bishop of the Diocese of Saint-Jerome-Mont-Laurier. He showed an exceptional humility that was greatly appreciated by our Aboriginal brothers and sisters.” “The Pope’s visit was very important,” says Paul Gibbard, Canadian Ambassador to the Holy See – and recalled how it facilitated dialogue between Aboriginal people, the Canadian government and the Catholic Church. And the Canadians themselves, who followed this march on a large scale. He added that the topic of reconciliation with Aboriginal people has become increasingly important for Canadians, because in 2021, before the visit of the Pope, the government introduced the Day of Truth and Reconciliation, which is celebrated on September 30, but the visit of Fr. Al-Aqsa has given new impetus to reconciliation initiatives.
Monsignor Poisson explains these initiatives in detail: the establishment of listening circles with indigenous people; published four Pastoral Letters on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples – First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and God’s People – and established a Fund for Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, which should raise $30 million in five years and fund fifty local projects; drafting a guide for dioceses to assist them in dialogue with indigenous peoples; Posting videos retracing Pope Francis’ visit to Canada. We have “continued ‘walking together’ with them – said the Archbishop of Canada with satisfaction – to build a better tomorrow, to build a better church in Canada”. “We are happy that we are walking together, there is an answer – and he emphasizes – they are projects that we think regarding together, with our indigenous brothers and sisters, first of all with them and for them, and not on their behalf (…) They are projects that flow from their initiative, thanks to our invitation, And we are building it with them”, confirmed the Bishop of Saint-Jerome of Mont-Laurier.
The Catholic Church in Canada still wants to “get to know” these indigenous people better “so that you can walk with them”, because they are “part of who we are”. “With us we are Canada, not without them,” the bishop asserts, before noting the “very positive progress” that the government has also made. Indeed, Ambassador Gibbard also emphasized the Canadian government’s commitment to the reconciliation process. What the indigenous people expect from the Church is “to participate and be ready in the search for the truth regarding boarding schools (…), but also to take initiatives together to make their culture known”, adds Monsignor Poisson. So, this new chapter has just begun. And if the visit of Pope Francis “is an important and essential step – the Canadian ambassador to the Holy See concluded by saying – reconciliation is not a specific moment, but rather a path that we take together.”
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