Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Northwest Territories Regional Chief Gerald Antoine believes the Vatican and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) have taken a ‘wrong step’ in failing to work closely with the APN in planning the Pope’s visit to the country .
Chief Gerald Antoine, who recently led the First Nations delegation to Rome, said he raised the concern with Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith at a meeting a few days ago.
This is a real and important opportunity for us to do things the right way, he said. We need to put everything on the table.
According to Gerald Antoine, who is also the national leader of the Dene, Church representatives should respect First Nations and follow their protocols. This is our home here and this is our family, so they have to work with this familyhe assured.
Hopefully he will visit one of the communities affected by unmarked graves
Pope Francis is expected to travel to Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit on a visit to Canada at the end of July, according to sources working on trip planning and who is not authorized to speak publicly.
Chef Gerald Antoine said he didn’t get a clear answer from CCCB and the Vatican regarding their requests to confirm the pope’s visit.
We hope that this visit will be carried out in the way of our former students of residential schools [pour Autochtones] it is neededdid he declare.
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc chief Rosanne Casimir said she had not yet received a response to her invitation to the pope, which she personally delivered, to travel to Kamloops where 215 possibly unmarked graves had been discovered. by sharp radar near the old Indian boarding school.
Wherever the Pope goes in Canada, we want to be able to bring many survivors, intergenerational survivors, grandchildren and great -grandchildren.said Rosanne Casimir.
” Hopefully he will visit one of the communities affected by unmarked graves […] It would be a real charade if he didn’t. “
The discovery in Kamloops led to other similar searches and discoveries near former residential schools and renewed calls for the Catholic Church to apologize for its role in running the schools.
The pope issued a church apology in March and accepted the invitation from Inuit, Métis and First Nations delegations visiting Canada.
For the regional head of the Assembly of First Nations Gérald Antoine, this visit should serve “to complete the apology, and also for justice and restitution”.
The presence of the pope was requested in some places
Former AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine wants the pope to stop in Winnipeg, as the capital of Manitoba has the largest population of urban Indigenous people in Canada, in addition to being home to St. Louis. Boniface Cathedral. , the first built in Western Canada.
Someone else is hoping [le pape François] will travel to Kamloops or Ermineskin [Première Nation crie, NDLR], he said. Everyone makes assumptions.
The Métis of Manitoba also wanted the pope to go to Saint-Boniface to bless Louis Riel’s grave.
In a written statement, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said it is committed to working closely with Indigenous leaders and communities to ensure that the pope’s next visit is a important step on the road to healing and reconciliation.
I will be happy to meet you again when I visit your ancestral lands where your families livementioned by Pope Francis on the visit of the delegation of natives to the Vatican.
According to CCCBPope Francis has received a large number of requests for his visit to Canada and the locations and details surrounding this visit have not yet been finalized or confirmed.
The Vatican will make the final decision, which should be announced as soon as possible.
Based on information from Olivia Stefanovitch
Source: Radio-Canada
