Pope Francis arrives in Canada on Sunday, marking the first papal visit to the country in 20 years. He’s expected to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system, an in-person follow-up to his historic apology in April.
Joining the Pope will be Cardinal Michael Czerny, who will be participating in his first papal trip. The Canadian was appointed as a cardinal just two years ago by Pope Francis.
Before leaving for his visit, Czerny sat down for an exclusive interview with CTV National News to discuss what he expects the trip to accomplish.
“It's always important to include not just the reparation of the past, but the forging of a new future. And that's what makes, I think, the whole thing so important," Czerny told CTV National News Manitoba Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon in Vatican City.
"It's not primarily about the past but primarily about the future.”
Czerny said he expects that the Pope's visit will lead to a “sincere and respectful dialogue” that could eventually lead to a “partnership” between the Roman Catholic Church and Indigenous communities in Canada.
An estimated 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children were forced to attend residential schools in Canada over a century. The Catholic Church ran about 60 per cent of the institutions. The last residential school closed in 1996.
Czerny said that what reconciliation will look like “remains to be seen.”
“What reconciliation would look like depends very much on the Indigenous people of Canada, the Church in this particular case, but in general all the faith communities, and the entire Canadian population,” Czerny said.
Watch the exclusive interview with Cardinal Michael Czerny at the top of the article.
___
If you are a former residential school survivor 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.
