Pope Francis鈥� apology for the Catholic Church鈥檚 role in the Canadian residential school system was an important first step, Indigenous delegates say鈥攂ut it still needs to be followed by concrete action and a visit to Indigenous territory.
鈥淔or some people this was absolutely historic, it was so important for them to move forward in their healing,鈥� Métis National Council President Cassidy Caron told 麻豆传媒 Channel. 鈥淔or others, it was a little bit less significant. For some, they鈥檙e really looking for concrete actions and accountability from the Catholic Church.鈥�
Caron was one of the delegates who travelled to the Vatican to meet the pope ahead of the April 1 apology. So was Cree Nation Youth Grand Chief Adrian Gunner.
鈥淚 think it was very crucial and important that young people were there,鈥� Gunner told 麻豆传媒 Channel from Mistissini, Que. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be the next generation to come to carry on the works that鈥檚 going to be done.鈥�
His grandparents are both residential school survivors. Immediately following the pope鈥檚 apology, Gunner called his grandmother.
鈥淪he said that some people did in fact need it,鈥� Gunner recalled. 鈥淪ome others haven鈥檛鈥攕ome have already moved on in their healing journey.鈥�
Both Caron and Gunner await the pope鈥檚 promised trip to Canada, which is expected to happen this summer.
鈥淗e did in fact give an apology in his own turf, but people believe that he should also do it on our turf too where a lot of these so-called schools were,鈥� Gunner said.
鈥淭o have the pope come here and make that same apology, but also maybe hopefully a stronger apology here on our homelands to as many survivors as we can bring to those locations, that would be a huge success for us,鈥� Caron added from Ottawa. 鈥淏ut of course, we鈥檙e also still looking for a little bit more, and the pope himself said that any truly effective process of healing requires concrete actions.鈥�
Such actions, Gunner says, should include helping create access to clean drinking water and working towards ending systematic racism in Canada.
鈥淭ruth needs to come before reconciliation,鈥� Caron said. 鈥淲e need to be talking even though it鈥檚 hard. These stories are hard to listen to, and it鈥檚 hard to comprehend that these things happened. We need to tell the truth.鈥�
