Following the announcement on June 10, 2021, about the delegation of indigenous peoples to visit Rome and meet the Holy Father and experience significant moments of dialogue and healing, the Catholic Bishops of Canada are pleased to announce that the delegation’s Rome visit will take place from December 17-20, 2021 in accordance with international travel guidelines.
Pope Francis is fully committed to hearing directly from Indigenous peoples, to express his sincere closeness, to address the impact of colonization and the role the Church played in the residential school system, in response to suffering indigenous peoples and the ongoing intergenerational trauma, according to a statement by the Canadian Bishops released June 29, 2021. The Bishops of Canada said they are deeply grateful to the Holy Father for his spirit of openness by generously issuing an invitation for personal meetings with each of the three distinct groups of delegates, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, as well as a final audience with all of them. the delegates meeting on December 20, 2021.
This pastoral visit will include the participation of a diverse group of elders / ‘knowledge keepers’, residential school survivors, and youth from across the country, accompanied by a small group of bishops and Indigenous leaders. Planning for the delegation is underway and further details will be announced as they become available.
In their statement, the Bishops of Canada reaffirm their sincere hope that these forthcoming meetings will lead to a shared future of peace and harmony between Indigenous peoples and the Catholic Church in Canada.
“The recent discovery of children’s remains at a burial site at a former residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, reminds us of a painful past and a legacy that endures,” according to the June 10 statement by the bishops. “With the strong encouragement of Pope Francis, the Bishops of Canada are committed to renewing and strengthening relationships with Indigenous Peoples across the country.”
Pope Francis on Sunday, June 6, 2021, expressed sorrow about the finding of the remains of 215 children, pupils of the Kamloops Indian Residential School, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Holy Father’s words came after praying the noonday Angelus with the faithful in St. Peter’s Square.
