Winnipeg Ideal Spot for Papal Apology
Winnipeg Free Press
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has opened the door. Now it’s up to Pope Francis to enter. During a 42-minute private audience last Monday, Mr. Trudeau invited the Pope to issue a historic papal apology for the role the Roman Catholic Church played in the abuse of children in residential schools. The prime minister also invited the Pope to visit Canada, which is where, it’s to be hoped, any apology would be delivered. Following the meeting, the Vatican issued a statement saying the Pope will consider the requests, but did not mention a possible papal apology or when the Pope might visit Canada. The time for considering is over. It’s time for Pope Francis to deliver a forthright apology to indigenous survivors for the sexual, mental and physical abuse they suffered at church-run schools. For almost a century, the schools robbed aboriginal children of their language, culture and the care of their families. About 150,000 indigenous children were forcibly removed from their families and grew up in environments which, initially, sought to "bleed the Indian out of them," to assimilate them. The majority of residential schools were run by Roman Catholics. The Anglican, Presbyterian and United churches, which also ran residential schools, have already apologized to survivors. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued a recommendation calling for a papal apology to survivors, many of whom say one is needed before reconciliation with the church can begin. The commission suggested the apology should be similar to one Benedict XVI delivered in Ireland in 2010 to victims of abuse by the church. "Surely, he (the Pope) could find it in his heart to come here and apologize," Eugene Arcand, a Saskatchewan man who has held a number of national positions representing survivors, told the CBC. "We shouldn’t have to go on our hands and knees again to this particular church to seek some level of dignity and redress for the destruction of generations of the First Peoples of this country." While an apology in itself is vital, it is of equal importance that it be delivered on Canadian soil. It is not unlike when children smash a neighbour’s window with a baseball — they are expected to stand on the neighbour’s doorstep and deliver a face-to-face apology, not just say they’re sorry from the safety of their own yard. Some survivors, such as Mr. Arcand, have said Saskatchewan, where nearly 30 per cent of all survivors attended residential school, is a logical place for the Pope to come for the apology. While it should not be a competition to see who has suffered the most, it would also be fitting for several reasons for the Pope to make this historic gesture of healing in Winnipeg. Based on 2011 figures, people identifying as aboriginal made up 17 per cent of Manitoba’s population, the highest share of all the provinces. As the location of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg is seen worldwide as a hub of chronicling human rights abuses and reconciliation. Also, the University of Manitoba has been selected as the National Research Centre on Indian Residential Schools, and will house thousands of statements and photographs of residential school survivors. In effect, this makes Winnipeg ground zero for preserving the history of residential schools, a history that needs an apology from the Roman Catholic church. Trudeau offered the invitation, and now it’s up to the Vatican to deliver. Any apology should come on Canadian soil to underline its serious intent. If Winnipeg can help by hosting, we would welcome His Holiness.
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