Pope to visit Canada for historic six-day visit to ask forgiveness of indigenous church abuse survivors

Sunday marks the start of Pope Francis' historic six-day trip to Canada, where he will meet with Indigenous victims of abuse at Catholic Church-run residential schools and be expected to beg their pardon. The pontiff's description of it as a "penitential pilgrimage" is considered a crucial first step in confronting the widespread problem of clerical sexual abuse of children and years of cover-up. Indigenous communities in Canada have been waiting for it for a while. After arriving in Edmonton, Alberta's western province, Pope Francis will continue on to Quebec City and then Iqaluit, Canada's most northerly city. This will be the pope's 37th worldwide trip since assuming the role of pope.

He intends to restate his apologies, which he gave to Canadian delegates visiting the Vatican in April and which he then stated would "contribute to the journey of healing and reconciliation already undertaken," in the hope that it will be received positively. In unmarked graves near public schools run by the Catholic Church, hundreds of Indigenous children's corpses were found last year, forcing Canada to face its failed programme of forced assimilation. The Church's involvement in what a national truth and reconciliation committee has referred to as "cultural genocide" has also come under the spotlight.

Also Read:Sri Lankan crisis: Economy lessons India can learn

Add WION as a Preferred Source

From the late 1800s through the 1990s, about 150,000 First Nations, Metis, and Inuit children were enrolled in 139 residential schools, where they were separated from their family, language, and culture for months or years at a time. By headmasters and teachers, many people suffered from physical and sexual abuse. It's estimated that thousands of people perished from illness, hunger, or neglect. Since May 2021, more than 1,300 unmarked graves have been found near the locations of the defunct schools.

(with inputs from agencies)