ROME -- In an evening ceremony outside the Vatican, an Indigenous delegate to Rome was finally given her cultural name.
Lorelei Williams, an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and children, was given the name Palexelsiya in St. Peter's Square on Thursday night.
"Here of all places you know, they take our laws away, our culture our languages, but here we are practicing it," Williams told CTV National News.
A First Nation delegation and survivors of residential school institutions met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday to discuss the Catholic Church's role in the abuses of the residential school system.
While Williams did not attend a residential school herself, Williams' mother survived the Catholic-run St. Mary’s School in Mission, B.C.
"If my mom was sleeping in a room, there was no way we could shut the light off because that’s when bad things happened in the residential schools," Williams said.
The trauma of the residential school system had a generational impact on Williams' family that led to alcoholism and violence, as well as the loss of William's connection to her culture and language, which she is now learning. Williams' says four of her relatives are among Canada's missing and murdered Indigenous women.
When Pope Francis meets with delegates Friday, he is expected to discuss the church’s next steps, which many Indigenous people expect to include a papal apology in Canada.
With files from Brooklyn Neustaeter.
If you are a former residential school survivor in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
Correction:
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Palexelsiya.
