AFN national chief wants concrete actions from Catholic Church

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has issued a public apology to Indigenous people in Canada for the suffering endured at residential schools, but the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) says the church needs to follow up with “concrete actions.”

Addressing the “Indigenous peoples of this land,” the bishops issued a statement today saying that they “acknowledge the suffering experienced in Canada’s Indian Residential Schools.”

“Many Catholic religious communities and dioceses participated in this system, which led to the suppression of Indigenous languages, culture and spirituality, failing to respect the rich history, traditions and wisdom of Indigenous peoples,” the statement said.

“We acknowledge the grave abuses that were committed by some members of our Catholic community; physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural and sexual.”

The statement also “sorrowfully acknowledges” the lingering trauma suffered by former residential school students and their families.

“The…