Pope Francis apologizes for residential schools at Vatican: ‘I ask for God’s forgiveness’

Pope Francis has delivered a formal apology for the grave harm caused by Canada’s harrowing residential school system. In a livestreamed audience with more than 170 Indigenous survivors, elders, knowledge keepers, youth and community leaders on Friday, he said he was “deeply grieved” by stories of abuse, hardship and discrimination he heard throughout the week. “All this made me feel two things very strongly — indignation and shame,” he said before a packed room at the Vatican. “Indignation, because it is not right to accept evil, and even worse to grow accustomed to evil as if it were an inevitable part of the historical process. “All these things are contrary to gospel of Jesus Christ.

For the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church — I ask for God’s forgiveness and I want to say to you with all my heart, I am very sorry.” Read more: ‘What drove me is the children’: Longest-serving chief in Canada presses Pope for justice He said he joined his “brothers”— in the room — six members of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops — in asking for the forgiveness of Indigenous peoples as well.

Those in the meeting, many dressed in formal regalia, listened and watched intently as the Holy Father lauded the richness of Indigenous culture, spirituality and languages.

He praised their sense of community, deep familial roots and great care of the land. He noted that “ideological colonization” remains rampant in the world today, driven by “greed and thirst for profit” with little concern for people, their history, traditions and home.