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Habemus Papam

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Foto: Ap

In a world that seems to be disintegrating, a bit of good news.

A few months ago, I wrote about the Residential School scandal in Canada. For over a hundred years, indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families, their communities, their language and their culture to study in schools that tried to “de-indigenize” them. 

This attempt to “mainstream” these children had one major objective – to eventually wipe out indigenous culture and ensure that new generations would forget their roots and share mainstream Canadian culture and languages.

An estimated 150,000 children were sent to such schools, and 60% of these schools were run by the Catholic church. 

During the past few years, mass graves at these schools have revealed that hundreds if not thousands of these children died and were buried anonymously. Many more were abused and left with no heritage upon which to lean and move forward with their lives. 

For years, the Canadian government and indigenous leaders have tried to get the Vatican to apologize for the Church’s role in this terrible aspect of Canadian history.

Finally, we have a Pope who is listening and leading the Church as a place of love rather than of doctrine, and in which the Church can and is expressing its regret for mistakes.

On April 1st, Pope Francis met with 200 representatives of Canadian indigenous tribes. “I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry,” Francis said in Italian during a final meeting with First Nations, Inuit and Metis delegates.

“And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon.”

 According to the Canadian Press, the Pope said that he felt shame and sorrow that Catholics, particularly those in charge of education, had caused such significant harm.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that “Today’s apology is a step forward in acknowledging the truth of our past. We cannot separate the legacy of the residential school system from the institutions that created, maintained, and operated it, including the Government of Canada and the Catholic Church.”

Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, said that, “Behind the coverups, behind the indifference over a 100 years, behind the lies, behind the lack of justice, this Pope — Pope Francis — decided to go right through it and decided to speak words that First Nations, Inuit and Metis have been longing to hear for decades”.

The history of the Church’s impact on many indigenous groups worldwide is shameful, as has been the historical cover-up by Church leaders. For years, Church leaders sought political expediency rather than true justice, forgoing the teaching of Christ in favor of the advice of Machiavelli.  

Pope Francis has come to terms with history, and has, throughout his papacy, sought to make love, rather than doctrine, his message. He has preferred to console souls rather than force the mistakes of the past on current and future generations. He has also done what Church leaders have avoided in the past – to admit fallibility despite the Church’s teachings (invented four centuries after Christ’s death) that the Pope and the Church are infallible.

According to the Ottawa Citizen, survivors, their families and their communities have now heard the apology that they have been waiting to hear for generations.

Stephanie Scott, executive director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation said in a statement that “Today signals the start of meaningful steps by the Church to take responsibility for its egregious actions, the effects of which are still felt across communities and generations today.”

Pope Francis also announced that he would like to travel to Canada to apologize to Canadians in person on Canadian soil.

I say Canadians rather than only the indigenous peoples because this sad chapter in Canadian history affects all Canadians. 

We cannot be held responsible for what happened in the past. But we can celebrate, with our indigenous brothers and sisters, their joy at finding justice at this moment in history. We can be thankful that, whatever our religious or spiritual beliefs, the Catholic Church has found a leader who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ and respects the very foundation upon which he based his ministry: love your neighbors as you love yourself.

 

Keep reading: Fighting the Bully

 

Edición: Laeura Espejo


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