Sorrow just isn’t enough
The refusal by Pope Francis to apologize to victims of abuse at Indian residential schools in Canada is striking hard at survivors and their families in the Atlantic region. Abuses at these schools have been well documented by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). What is equally well known is the role of the Catholic Church in operating those schools.
A papal apology is one of 94 recommendations made by the TRC. During a visit to the Vatican last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau personally asked the Pope to consider such a gesture. So far, the answer is no. The refusal by the Pope is hard to understand – and unacceptable.
A recent letter from Canadian bishops says Pope Francis has not shied away from recognizing injustices faced by Indigenous peoples, but he can’t personally apologize for residential schools. The pontiff offered apologies to other victims of church abuses around the world but has trouble doing the same thing in Canada. Why?
The Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia, the only one in Atlantic Canada, saw more than 1,000 children from across the region placed there. The apparent purpose was to “take the Indian out of the Indian” – to assimilate a sovereign nation.
What happened at Shubenacadie was cultural genocide. Girls and boys were taken from their homes and thrust into a foreign world – with poor living conditions, corporal punishment, over-crowding, forced labour, hunger and a ‘white’ curriculum. Children were punished for speaking Mi’kmaq. Physical, mental, sexual and other abuses suffered by children will forever be a stain on this country. A crucial step towards forgiveness and reconciliation is a full apology from the Pope to Canada’s indigenous peoples.
An Atlantic Mi’kmaq chief is speaking out, calling on the Pope to promote healing. Brian Francis of Abegweit First Nation is keenly aware of community members who were victims of abuse and the tragic effect it had on their lives. It didn’t stop there. Children, grandchildren and families of survivors also suffered. It’s a tragic legacy which continues today. The Pope’s refusal is a re-victimization of those who suffered in Shubenacadie. The church failed its flock for 37 years there and is failing them again.
This week, Canadian MPS voted 269-10 to extend a formal invitation to Pope Francis to apologize in person to Indigenous Peoples. The Pope hasn’t ruled out a visit to Canada, but in the meantime, is encouraging Canadian bishops to continue working with Indigenous Peoples on reconciliation. That’s not good enough.
Church sorrow is not enough. Canada apologized for the schools in 2008 and other Christian denominations all did the same.
The Commons motion should start the process for Canadian bishops and pontiff to do the right thing. Pope Francis should come to Canada and deliver the long overdue mea culpa in person. A basic tenet of the church is forgiveness and repentance of sin. The residential school tragedy offers the church an opportunity to practise what it preaches.