Pope Francis

Pope Francis apologized Monday for the Catholic Church’s involvement with Canada’s past Indigenous residential schools, which forced Native people to assimilate into Christian society. “I am deeply sorry,” Francis said this week at a former residential school in Alberta. “I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many…

QUÉBEC CITY, Québec — Pope Francis apologized and asked for forgiveness for the role played by local Catholic institutions in Canada’s system of indigenous residential schools, after some indigenous leaders and elders demanded that he expand on his earlier apologies, which blamed individual Catholics but not the church itself. In…

QUEBEC CITY — The Canadian government made clear Wednesday that Pope Francis’ apology to Indigenous peoples for abuses in the country’s church-run residential schools didn’t go far enough, suggesting that reconciliation over the fraught history is still very much a work in progress. The official government reaction came as Francis…

TORONTO (Reuters) - A historic apology by Pope Francis to survivors of residential schools in Canada evoked strong emotions for many as the pontiff begged for forgiveness but fell short of what some survivors and indigenous leaders had hoped for. Greeted with drumming and dancing on First Nations soil, the…

Warning: This story deals with disturbing subject matter that may upset and trigger some readers. Discretion is advised. According to Tom McCallum (White Standing Buffalo), when Cree-speaking peoples first saw the “black robes” kneeling down and immersed in prayer, they didn’t know what the clergymen were doing. Pointing up to…

QUEBEC - Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed shame and sorrow for the role Catholic institutions played in the "deplorable" residential school system, promising the church would help promote the Indigenous cultures the schools tried to erase. Speaking at Quebec City's historic Citadelle, Francis asked forgiveness for the harm done by…

Pope Francis gets water from the lake after blessing it during the annual pilgrimage event in Lac Ste. Anne, Alta., Tuesday, July 26, 2022. By Brittany Hobson and Sidhartha BanerjeeThe Canadian Press Wed., July 27, 2022timer5 min. read QUEBEC - Pope Francis on Wednesday expressed shame and sorrow for the…

Pope Francis adjusts a traditional headdress he was given after his apology to Indigenous people. Photo / AP It was a stunning image: Pope Francis briefly wearing a full Indigenous headdress, its rows of soft white feathers fastened in place by a colourful, beaded headband after he apologised for the…

18 days agoRadioDuration 23:13Decades ago Phil Fontaine helped open Canada's eyes to the horrors of the residential school system. And he's since spent years pushing for an apology from the top of the Catholic Church. Today he reflects on hearing Pope Francis say "sorry" for the second time. "My big…

LAC STE. ANNE, Canada (RNS) — On the shores of the largest Indigenous pilgrimage site in North America, Pope Francis praised the role of grandparents in preserving faith and tradition Tuesday (July 26), while continuing his visit of healing and reconciliation in Canada. “You possess a treasure!” the pope told…