Pope begs forgiveness of Canada’s Indigenous peoples for school abuses

More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture

Former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine, stands outside St. Peter’s Square at the end of a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Thursday, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Pope Francis has apologised and begged forgiveness for the “deplorable” abuses suffered by Indigenous peoples in Canada’s residential schools, saying he was ashamed and indignant at all they had endured at the hands of Catholic educators.

Francis made the apology and vowed to visit Canada during an audience with dozens of members of the Metis, Inuit and First Nations communities who went to Rome seeking a papal apology and a commitment for the Catholic Church to repair the damage.