The Canadian government insisted yesterday that Pope Francis’ apology for the abuse of Indigenous children in the country’s Catholic-run schools was not enough.
It argued that the Catholic Church should acknowledge its central role in the scandal.
According to the Associated Press, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded “apologies for the role that the Roman Catholic Church, as an institution, played in the mistreatment of the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical and sexual abuse that Indigenous children suffered in residential schools run by the church,” while speaking before Pope Francis.
On the ground is the decades-long abuse Canadian Indigenous children faced in the country’s residential schools that were run by the government and the church to make students assimilate into Canadian culture.
Children were forcibly removed from their homes and separated from the influence of their parents and native culture at the schools, where the Canadian government said sexual abuse was common and students were beaten for speaking their native languages.
The Pope was in Canada as part of a “penitential pilgrimage” to atone for the church’s role in the scandal, though the pope has been reluctant to name the Catholic Church as the institution responsible for the abuse.
On Monday, he apologized for the “evil” of the church personnel who took part in the abuse and the “catastrophic” effect the system had on the Indigenous children.
In a Wednesday speech before the Canadian government, Francis apologized again and called the school system “deplorable.”
