CANADA
The Runner
APRIL 24, 2018
by Alyssa Laube
Many were shocked to hear that Pope Francis—widely celebrated as one of history’s most progressive pontiffs—refused to apologize to victims of Canadian residential schools when asked to do so by Justin Trudeau, on behalf of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Little explanation for this decision was offered to the public despite the debate that now enshrouds it. According to Bishop Lionel Gendron, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Pope carefully considered the request, and discussed it with the Catholic Bishops of Canada, before figuring that “he could not personally respond.”
National Chief Perry Bellegarde of the Assembly of First Nations has personally written to the Pope to invite him to Canada for a meeting with Indigenous people here. So far, the Pope hasn’t responded, and while it can be safely assumed that he won’t be knocking down our door anytime soon, there’s no better time than the present to evaluate the implications of this curious move by the Catholic Church.
It is curious because, in recent years, the church hasn’t shied away from apologizing for similar wrongdoings it was involved in. In 2010, Pope Benedict offered an apology to Irish victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by members of the church, and in 2015, Pope Francis himself apologized to Indigenous Americans for the harm caused by its part in colonialism.
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