Pope Francis may travel to Canada on a reconciliation trip with indigenous peoples next year. This is reported by the online portal “Crux”, citing the President of the Canadian Bishops’ Conference.
The Pope’s visit is likely to be followed by a visit to Rome by a delegation of indigenous peoples and Canadian bishops.
In late October, in an official Vatican announcement, Francis indicated that he was “ready” to travel to Canada “in due course” in principle. The head of the church chose these formulations in response to an invitation to the Canadian Bishops’ Conference. A specific date was not given.
The Vatican visit of Canadian bishops and indigenous representatives, originally planned for this month, was postponed at short notice due to the coronavirus situation. Only the head of the Episcopal Conference, President Bishop Raymond Poisson, Vice Terence McGrewton and the two General Secretaries Frank Leo and Jean Vezina, visited Rome last week.
Canada’s bishop is currently examining options with the Vatican for a catch-up date for his trip to Rome.
dead body found in catholic boarding schools
This and possible travel plans come against the backdrop of hundreds of corpses found on the grounds of former Catholic boarding schools for Indigenous children. Indigenous girls and boys should be educated in facilities and adapted to the society and culture of European immigrants. The orators were mostly churches; The money has come from the state.
Since May 2021, the remains of more than 1,000 children have been discovered in the premises of the former homes.
Meanwhile, Canada (Monday local time) pledged 40 billion Canadian dollars (about 27 billion euros) as compensation payments for Indigenous families. The state is complying with a 2016 Supreme Court ruling, which was reaffirmed by judges over the summer, as broadcaster BBC reports.
Church apologizes for suffering
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, established by the Government of Canada in 2008, counted 139 facilities when Indigenous children were forcibly visited. The majority was led by the Catholic Church. The last of these was closed in 1996; An estimated 150,000 children were affected. Since then, the topic has gained attention both in Canada and internationally.
The church apologized in September for the pain it caused by joining the previous boarding system. In this context, the Pope was demanded to present his side on this issue and come to Canada.
