Pope Francis’ trip to Canada: a radical rethinking of the Church’s legacy

Pope Francis’ trip to Canada to apologize for the horrors that occurred in the boarding schools for indigenous people run by the Catholic Church involves a radical rethinking of the missionary legacy of the Catholic Church, promoted by the first American pope and of the discovery of hundreds of possible graves in the schoolyard.

Francis stressed that the visit, which will last a week and begin on Sunday, is a “pilgrimage of penance”. apologize on Canadian soil for the “evil” done to indigenous peoples by Catholic missionaries.

Occurs after the Vatican last April 1 apologized for generations of trauma suffered by indigenous communities as a result of church-imposed policy of eliminating their culture and including them in Canadian Christian society.

Francis’ tone of personal repentance marked an important change in the papacy, which has long recognized the abuses committed in the colleges and firmly defends the rights and dignity of indigenous peoples.

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But his predecessors also praised the sacrifice and holiness of the European Catholic missionaries who brought Christianity to America, which Francis has done in the past. but that shouldn’t be emphasized on this trip.

Cardinal Michael Czerny, a Canadian Jesuit who is one of the top papal advisers in the Vatican, recalled that at the beginning of his mandate Francis affirmed that no culture can claim control of Christianity and that the Church cannot expect the population of others continents imitate the way Europeans express their faith.

“If this belief had been accepted by all those involved in the centuries following the ‘discovery’ of America, much suffering would have been avoideddiscoveries would be made and America would be better off overall, ” he wrote in an email to the Associated Press.

This journey will not be easy for Francisco, 85, nor for those who survived boarding schools and their families. The pope is unable to walk on his own and will use a wheelchair and cane due to a painful tear in the ligaments in one knee.

to all events there will be trauma experts offer psychological help to school survivors in the face of the possibility of conflict situations.

abuse

“It is an understatement to say that there are mixed emotions,” said head Desmond Bull of the Louis Bull Tribe, a First Nations that is part of the territory of Maskwacis, where the pontiff will offer his first apologies on Monday, near the site. from a former college.

The Canadian government has admitted this physical and sexual abuse were widespread in Christian schools state-funded centers opened from the 19th century to 1970. About 150,000 indigenous children have been separated from their families and forced to attend these centers in an attempt to isolate them from the influence of their native homes, languages ​​and cultures.

Indigenous leaders have cited the legacy of such abuse and family isolation as a major cause of epidemic rates of alcohol and drug addiction on Canadian reservations.

“For the survivors, from coast to coast, this is an opportunity – the first and perhaps the last – to make amends for themselves and their families, “Grand Chief Georg Arcand Jr. of the Six Treaty Confederation said in Maskwacis.

“It will be a difficult but necessary process,” he said.

Unlike most papal voyages, the diplomatic protocol of a traditional state visit will take a back seat to personal encounters with First Nations, Métis and Inuit survivors. Francis he will not formally meet the Canadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeau, until the middle of his stay, in Quebec City.

The visit will also end in an unusual way: the pope will visit Iqaluit, Nunavut, further north than ever, to apologize to the Inuit community before returning to Rome.

AP Agency

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