When Pope Francis stood overlooking St. Peter’s Square Sunday, he expressed his pain over the remains of 215 Indigenous students found at the site of a church-run residential school in Kamloops, B.C.
"I join with the Canadian bishops and the entire Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my closeness to the Canadian people traumatized by the shocking news," Francis said, acknowledging the “sad discovery” adds to the sorrow and suffering of the past.
Yet while he pressed religious and political authorities to shed light on the issue, his remarks fell short of the official apology Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canadian Indigenous leaders, and Catholics alike have long called for.
The Catholic Church administrated many of Canada's residential schools – including the one in Kamloops – as did the Anglican, United and Presbyterian churches for more than 120 years.
It’s estimated that more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend the state-funded schools, the majority of them run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations, in a campaign to assimilate them into Canadian society. The children were often subjected to physical and sexual abuse.
The church has also refused to release many of its documents related to residential schools, which experts say could shed light on more unmarked burial sites, despite its obligation to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to do so.
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI “offered his sympathy and prayerful solidarity” to those who had been affected by the abuse at residential schools while speaking to a delegation from Canada's Assembly of First Nations.
While he called the abuse “deplorable,” it was not considered an official apology.
In 2017, Trudeau personally asked Pope Francis to apologize for the institution's role in the residential school system. But the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops later said that the Pope could not personally apologize for residential schools, even though he has not shied away from recognizing injustices faced by Indigenous people around the world.
Church leaders have said it did not have a unified role in the residential school system as it has a decentralized structure, meaning decisions are made by individual dioceses or orders.
Both before and after the discovery in Kamloops, individual bishops have apologized for the role that different dioceses played in the residential school system.
After the discovery in Kamloops, Richard Gagnon, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed his "sorrow for the heartrending loss of the children" to the Canadian Press, but offered no formal apology. The Canadian Conference of Bishops declined to comment.
Papal apologies usually happen in person in countries where the abuse took place, which means Pope Francis would, in theory, have to travel to Canada to officially apologize.
In 2018, Pope Francis issued a sweeping apology in Ireland to the children who were forcibly taken at birth from their mothers, and the women who had been forced to live in workhouses for “fallen women.”
And, in 2015, the Pope apologized for the Catholic Church's role in the oppression of Latin America during the colonial era.
Pope Francis has also issued apologies over the church’s long-investigated sex-abuse scandal.
- With files from The Canadian Press
-----------------------------------
If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
The design for a new memorial in Kamloops, B.C., has been released, nearly four years after a deadly Canadian Forces Snowbird plane crash.
Around 100 members of the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers plan to hold a protest in Abbotsford, B.C., today.
The B.C. government will be making an announcement Thursday about incoming short-term rental rules.
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Gas prices jumped an average of 14 cents per litre overnight in the GTA, climbing to levels not seen in nearly two years as the switch from winter fuel to a more expensive summer blend pushes up the price at the pumps.
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
Two people are in hospital and police are investigating a fight between a man and a woman in Forest Lawn early Thursday morning.
The Alberta government will detail on Thursday measures it’s taking to ensure electricity is more affordable.
Ten things happening around the city.
One person is dead following an overnight crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa's east end. The westbound lanes of the Queensway are closed between Innes Road and the Hwy. 174 split.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe at Ottawa City Hall on Thursday, for a meeting to discuss municipal-federal issues.
Canadians for Affordable Energy president Dan McTeague says gas prices will drop 4 cents a litre on Friday, one day after prices increased 14 cents a litre.
Motorists are facing higher prices in many parts of Quebec as gas stations switch from winter to summer gasoline.
François Legault still doesn't know the price of a 4 1/2 apartment in Montreal, three years after getting bogged down on the issue.
PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon isn't shying away from criticism that comments he made referencing Canada's colonial past were an inappropriate way to push his party's sovereignty agenda.
The first weekly wildfire status update from government officials will be provided Thursday.
The Alberta government will detail on Thursday measures it’s taking to ensure electricity is more affordable.
Cool air has settled in over the province and it'll be here for a few more days.
Light rain and showers will develop for New Brunswick Saturday morning with a chance of showers in southwestern Nova Scotia and western Prince Edward Island.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says an agreement in principle has been reached on a new contract for public school teachers.
The Cape Breton Eagles are soaring after sweeping the second round of their Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League playoff series Wednesday night.
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
A Winnipeg man is raising a red flag after his landlord said no to health-care equipment that could change his life – a problem he believes is a human rights issue.
The Winnipeg Police Service have blocked off some roads in the city’s North End as they investigate a serious assault on Thursday morning.
As Saskatchewan teachers prepare to vote on a tentative agreement reached with the province, it could mark the end of a labour dispute that stretches back nearly a year.
Attendees are concerned the provincial government is not properly consulting First Nations on a number of issues such as hunting and trapping laws, crown land sales, as well as forestry and environmental affairs.
No one was hurt in a house fire in Regina's North Central area Wednesday night, Regina Fire said.
Don’t be alarmed if you see some strange new creatures in Waterloo Park.
People living in the community of Ayr say they are dealing with a safety concern due to transport trucks travelling through their downtown.
Pizza and coffee wasn’t what Jeet Shergill was expecting to order on his lunch break, but he saw the posters of the new menu item at Tim Hortons and decided to give it a shot.
As Saskatchewan teachers prepare to vote on a tentative agreement reached with the province, it could mark the end of a labour dispute that stretches back nearly a year.
The Saskatoon Blades are off to the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Eastern Conference final for the second year in a row after completing a four game sweep of the Red Deer Rebels Wednesday night in central Alberta.
The woman accused of hitting and killing a child while driving under the influence of THC was called to the stand on Wednesday.
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
WARNING: Please be aware that some details of this story are upsetting. An animal cruelty investigation is underway in northern Ontario after a box of dead puppies was found at a landfill site, police say.
The body of a missing man has been found after his vehicle was pulled into a northern creek on Saturday morning, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Drivers were faced with some big numbers at the pumps Thursday morning. The price of gas shot up over night by about 15 cents to around $1.79 per litre.
Just before 9 p.m., officers used a search warrant at a home in the 300 block of Wellington St. near Stuart Street where three people were arrested.
According to the London Police Service (LPS), a 35-year-old Constable who lives in Woodstock was arrested and charged with impaired driving.
Provincial police are investigating after a man's body washed up on the shores of Lake Couchiching in Severn Township.
A multi-vehicle collision involving a semi-truck snarled traffic in Barrie on Wednesday afternoon.
Police advise vehicle owners to be cautious about selling privately after a recent incident where the seller did everything right when faced with a scammer.
Windsor police have seized nearly $42,000 in illegal drugs after raiding a psilocybin dispensary. Around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, police used a search warrant at the business in the 300 block of Ouellette Ave. near University Avenue.
Morgan Hurt shares a birthday with her grandfather, Bruce Rand – but it’s the fact both have received life-saving organ donations that has really solidified their special bond.
Many made a dash to the pumps because experts say the price of gas is set to rise Thursday.
The British Columbia government is encouraging anglers to pack their tackle boxes and head out to a remote lake on Vancouver Island as the province attempts to eradicate an invasive population of sport fish.
The B.C. government will be making an announcement Thursday about incoming short-term rental rules.
Evan Jamieson’s nine-year-old son Oliver has thrived at Mill Bay Nature School in Mill Bay, B.C., despite all of his challenges.
A banana ball python that was stolen from a Kelowna pet store on Saturday has been returned unharmed, Mounties said.
Nurses held a rally Wednesday at a hospital in the B.C. Interior that closed its emergency department more than a dozen times last year due to insufficient staff.
British Columbia is planning to add 240 new units to its complex-care housing program, providing homes for people with mental-health and addictions challenges that overlap with other serious conditions.
Three men who helped lead and co-ordinate the 2022 border blockade at Coutts, Alta., have been found guilty of public mischief.
Lethbridge police have arrested a Vermilion, Alta., man in connection with a 'grandparent scam' that took aim at a local senior.
An Alberta woman was killed in a multi-vehicle crash on a highway north of Coaldale, Alta., on Wednesday morning.
A 65-year-old northern Ontario woman says her winning lottery scratch ticket is the best present she has ever received.
A northern Ont. city councillor says she fears many women will go without the proper health care after town loses access to mobile cancer screening.
For the next several months, the City of Sault Ste. Marie will be cracking down on people who improperly use accessible parking spaces.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
A pricing agreement has been reached between crab fishers and seafood processors that will allow for Newfoundland and Labrador's annual crab fishery to get started.
Longliners across Newfoundland and Labrador are tied up once again, as a new protest by the province's fish harvesters threatens to derail the crab fishery for a second straight year.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.
While many people choose to keep their medical appointments private, four longtime friends decided to undergo vasectomies as a group in B.C.'s Lower Mainland.
A popular highway in Alberta's Banff National Park now has a 'no stopping zone' to help protect two bears.
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
The head of Canada's largest labour organization is calling Pierre Poilievre a 'fraud' for portraying himself as a friend of the working class.
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
The Ottawa Hospital is hoping artificial intelligence will help reduce physician burnout and increase access to care for patients.
Progress has been made on a new compensation model for family doctors, with the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) hopeful for a fall rollout.
A Winnipeg man is raising a red flag after his landlord said no to health-care equipment that could change his life – a problem he believes is a human rights issue.
An ancient giant snake in India might have been longer than a school bus and weighed a tonne, researchers reported Thursday.
New archeological investigations in Guatemala reveal that the ancient Maya people had a ritual of burning royal human remains as a public display of political regime change.
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
A Google Drive link allegedly containing 17 tracks that are purportedly from Swift's eagerly awaited "The Tortured Poets Department" album has been making the rounds on the internet in the past day and people are equal parts mad, sad and happy about it.
Congratulations are in order for singer Ashanti and rapper Nelly. The reunited couple have gone public with both a pregnancy and their engagement.
The Sundance Film Festival may not always call Park City, Utah, home. The Sundance Institute has started to explore the possibility of other U.S. locations to host the independent film festival starting in 2027, the organization said Wednesday.
Solving a longstanding construction worker shortage will be key to boosting housing supply, experts say, as Canada's national housing agency continues to forecast housing start levels that fall short of growing demand.
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
The challenges facing home buyers mean it's all the more important to do research and negotiate on rates, mortgage experts say, though they also caution that there's more to focus on than just what looks like the cheapest upfront option.
Ten beagles rescued from animal testing in the United States arrived in Alberta on Wednesday, thanks to a Canadian charity.
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
A Celebrity Apex cruise to the Caribbean this month turned into a rocking Newfoundland kitchen party when hundreds of people from Canada's easternmost province happened to be booked on the same ship.
The NFL draft will be offensive. We’re not talking about hurt feelings. This draft has the potential to set a record for most offensive players selected in the first round.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Calls for action against Israel in international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas will be stepped up by Palestinian officials at the annual FIFA congress next month.
Tesla will ask shareholders to reinstate a US$55 billion compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that was rejected by a judge in Delaware this year and to move the electric car maker's corporate home from Delaware to Texas.
Tesla has hit a series of roadblocks, including increased competition and declining sales. The company announced Monday it is slashing 10 per cent of its global workforce.
A driver from London will have to find alternative transportation after an OPP officer clocked them travelling nearly 200 km/h on Highway 401 over the weekend.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
