The federal government says it will provide more than $ 35 million during the papal visit to Canada to support Indigenous communities, organizations and survivors of residential schools.
Pope Francis will travel to Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut from July 24-29. The papal visit will include public and private events with an emphasis on indigenous participation.
The Pope is expected to apologize for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in residential schools during the trip, based on sentiments expressed earlier this year during an indigenous delegation to the Vatican.
Canada’s Indigenous Services and Crown-Indigenous Relations are allocating $ 30.5 million in funding for community-led activities, ceremonies and travel for survivors.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller has previously said the federal government would support survivors who want to attend and that it was planning to avoid a “logistical nightmare.”
Ottawa said another $ 3 million will support indigenous groups in the three regions where Pope Francis will spend time.
The papal visit is scheduled to begin in Edmonton before Francis joins survivors at the Ermineskin Indian residential school in the Maskwacis community, south of the city. Other events in Alberta include attending a local Native Church and a large Mass at Commonwealth Stadium, home of the Edmonton Elks CFL football team.
The Pope is scheduled to travel to Quebec City in the middle of the week, where there will also be a large mass that the public will be able to attend. He will end the trip in Iqaluit, where he will meet with survivors of residential schools and attend a community public event.
The federal government has also pledged $ 2 million to interpret Pope Francis’ events and comments on indigenous languages.
Francis is expected to apologize for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in residential schools.
It is estimated that about 150,000 indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools for a century, and the Roman Catholic Church managed about 60% of the institutions.
The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to help residential school survivors and their families who suffer trauma invoked by the memory of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 13, 2022.
Per— By Kelly Geraldine Malone in Winnipeg