Pope Francis apologized and said he feels 'shame' over the abuse of Indigenous people in Canada at schools run by the Catholic Church
- Pope Francis apologized on Friday for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential schools.
- Indigenous children were forced to attend the schools, where physical and sexual abuse was common.
Pope Francis apologized on Friday for the abuse experienced by Indigenous people in Canada's residential school system, many of which were run by the Catholic Church.
In an address delivered from the Vatican, Francis spoke directly to Canada's First Nations people about the schools, which were run for more than a century in an attempt to assimilate Indigenous children into mainstream Canadian society.
"I feel shame — sorrow and shame — for the role that a number of Catholics, particularly those with educational responsibilities, have had in all these things that wounded you, in the abuses you suffered and in the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values," Francis said.
"For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church, I ask for God's forgiveness and I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry. And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon," he continued.
The address was attended in person by members of some of Canada's largest Indigenous groups, who also met with the Pope earlier in the week in hopes of getting an apology, The New York Times reported.
Canada's residential school system ran from the late 1800s to the 1990s and involved sending 150,000 Indigenous children to boarding schools, about 70% of which were run by the Catholic Church. A report published in 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada found physical and sexual abuse was rampant at the schools and concluded the school system amounted to "cultural genocide."
Last summer hundreds of unmarked graves of Indigenous children were discovered on multiple school grounds.
In September, the Catholic Bishops of Canada publicly apologized for the church's role in the school system.
Francis's comments marked the first apology on behalf of the entire Catholic Church, after he had previously declined to apologize.