VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Sunday called for prayers to accompany him on what he called his “penitential” pilgrimage to Canada to apologize to indigenous groups for the abuses inflicted by the Catholic Church.
Greeting the audience in St. Peter’s Square, Francis noted that on July 24, “God willing,” he will begin a seven-day trip to Canada.
“Dear brothers and sisters of Canada, as you know, I will come among you especially in the name of Jesus to know and embrace indigenous peoples,” Francis said.
“Unfortunately, in Canada, many Christians, including some members of religious institutions, have contributed to policies of cultural assimilation that, in the past, have severely damaged, in various ways, native communities,” the pope said. speaking from a study. window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking the square.
“That is why, recently, at the Vatican, I received several groups, representatives of indigenous peoples, to whom I expressed with pain and my solidarity for the harm they have suffered,” said Francesc.
“And now I will make a penitential journey that I hope, by the grace of God, can contribute to the path of healing and reconciliation already begun,” said Francis, calling on the faithful to “accompany me with prayers” during the pilgrimage. .
When he met with indigenous representatives in early spring, the pontiff offered a historic apology for the abuses inflicted on church-run residential schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called for a papal apology on Canadian soil.
More than 150,000 native Canadian children were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century to the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from their home and culture. The goal was to Christianize them and assimilate them into the dominant society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.
The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was widespread in schools and that students were beaten for speaking their mother tongue. Indigenous leaders say the legacy of abuse and family separation was the main cause of epidemic rates of alcohol and drugs on Canadian reserves.