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Pope Francis arrived in Canada on Sunday to begin a five-day trip that will focus on apologizing on behalf of the Catholic Church for the abuse of indigenous children in predominantly church-run schools.
Beginning in the 1880s and ending in 1996, more than 150,000 children, from hundreds of Indigenous communities across Canada, were forcibly taken from their parents and sent to boarding schools. Many children starved to death, were beaten and sexually abused, something the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission has described as “cultural genocide”.
“This is a journey of repentance, and under this spirit it will take place“, the Pope told reporters in his usual remarks before leaving Rome.
He landed in Edmonton, in the western province of Alberta, where he will visit one of the former schools and meet with members of the indigenous community on Monday. The Pope will also visit Quebec City and Iqalui, the capital of the Nunavut territory. His visit will last until Friday.
On board the plane, the pope said he wanted to visit Ukraine in his efforts to end the five-month war, which he has consistently denounced.
“I have a great desire to go to KievPope Francis said when asked about a possible trip to Ukraine.
In an exclusive interview earlier this month, the Pope told Reuters that he hoped to visit Moscow and Kiev soon after his trip to Canada.
The first full day of his Canadian tour will be dedicated to apologizing to the indigenous population with a mass to be held at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on Tuesday.
Canadian leaders have known that large numbers of children have died in schools since 1907, but the issue was thrust into the spotlight last year by the discovery of what are suspected to be unmarked graves in or near the grounds of the former schools. .
In response to the pressure caused by these revelations, the Pope apologized for the role of the Catholic Church in schools earlier this year, during the visit of an indigenous delegation to the Vatican.
Now he is going to apologize to them on Canadian soil. But survivors and indigenous leaders have told Reuters that this is insufficient.
Many have called for financial compensation, the return of indigenous buildings, the release of school records, support for the extradition of accused abusers and the repeal of a 15th-century doctrine that justifies the dispossession of indigenous populations./VOA
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