Pope grants private audience to residential school survivors

Kia ora, This article can be found in the Native Journal Vol 18, May 2009. It speaks to the efforts of Native leaders seeking an audience with Pope Benedict XVI to address issues for residential school survivors. Taima

Pope grants private audience to residential school survivors:

A delegation of residential school survivors has been granted a rare private audience with the Pope in the Vatican.

The meeting is fuelling hope that Benedict XVI will apologize for abuse in institutions run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations.

The meeting at the Vatican, scheduled for April 29th, comes about after more than two years of diplomatic efforts between Native leaders and the Catholic Church spearheaded by the Archbishop of Winnipeg, James Weisgerber.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops says the Pope will express his concern for Aboriginal peoples in Canada who continue to suffer the impact of residential schools.

The bishop also says he will present the survivors with a signed declaration of the Church's determination to work toward reconciliation with Aboriginal people. Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine, who is leading the delegation calls it "a historic and momentous occasion". "We've had apologies from the other denominations, the United Church, the Presbyterian Church and the Anglican Church. We've had the historic apology from the Prime Minister on June 11", Fontaine said. "The one missing piece was the apology from the Catholic Church. When this happens we will be able to begin the important work of healing and reconciliation".

It's not known, however, how far Pope Benedict will go in his statement, or whether it will be the full apology that Native leaders and Elders are hoping to receive. "We're mindful of one thing, and that is traditionally the Catholic Church does not apologize", said Fontaine. "But we hope and pray that there will be an apology, one that will acknowledge the harms inflicted upon innocent children and an acceptance of responsibility for their role in the tragic experience".

Catholic Church missionary congregations ran nearly 75 per cent of Canada's residential schools, which operated from the 1880s up to the 1980s. They were operated with the policy of cultural assimilation, including religious conversion and the extinguishing of Native culture. Children were taken from their families against their will, and many suffered physical and sexual abuse at the schools.