Papal apology worth seeking

An editorial from the Hamilton Spectator, published May 31:

Forgive us our trespasses. Around the world each day, hundreds of millions of Christians repeat in some language and some form these simple yet profound words central to their statement of faith – the Lord’s Prayer.

Last week, Justin Trudeau asked Pope Francis to visit Canada and express the same sentiment to this country’s indigenous peoples for the Catholic Church’s role in the tragedy of the residential schools.

The prime minister privately met one-on-one in Vatican City with the leader of the planet’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics and made the request for the very formal, very public papal apology.

Trudeau is a powerful, democratically elected politician, but some people think he overstepped his authority in doing this and broadcasting it though the media.

But Trudeau did the right thing for Canada’s First Nations, for Canadians and for himself because he had pledged to do no less.

Pope Francis – who had been properly informed of Trudeau’s intentions – had no cause to be offended. He does, however, have cause to issue an apology. Forgive us our sins.

There is no longer any debate – the residential school system that operated in Canada is one of the blackest marks in the nation’s history. Members of the Catholic Church were major players in this dark chapter.

Over the course of 120 years, the federal government forcibly removed 150,000 aboriginal children from their families and put them in church-run schools.

The goal was assimilation. To achieve it, children were routinely beaten. The institutions were also rife with sexual abuse of the youngsters.

The wounds from the residential schools have never healed.

But Canada is trying to end the pain, and out of the historic Truth and Reconciliation Commission came 94 recommendations Trudeau promised to implement.

One is a call for a papal apology to residential school survivors, saying that the church-run system attempted to erase indigenous culture, identity and language in what constituted “cultural genocide.”

Finding a way to reconcile indigenous and nonindigenous Canadians, finding a way to address the harm caused when this land was colonized is arguably the country’s most urgent challenge. It is also at the top of Trudeau’s agenda, which is why he took the unusual step of asking Pope Francis for his help.

By all accounts, Trudeau was respectful and diplomatic in requesting the apology. There are reasons to hope Pope Francis will deliver one.

As Trudeau noted, the “entire life” of this Pope “has been dedicated to supporting marginalized people in the world.”

In 2015, the Pope apologized for crimes committed by the Catholic Church against indigenous peoples in Latin America. The Catholic Church also formally apologized to the victims of sexual abuse by priests in Ireland.

In Canada, the Anglican and United churches as well as the federal government long ago apologized for their roles in the residential schools.

What a noble act it would be for Pope Francis to come to Canada and do the same.

Canada’s First Nations deserve the words.