Opinion | No papal apology on residential schools undermines Pope John Paul II’s precedent – Toronto Star
June 14, 2021
“I have come in order to assure you that the Church stands with you as you strive to enhance your development as native peoples.”
Those words were spoken by Pope John Paul II in 1987, on his second trip to Canada. Unlike his other visits in 1984 and 2002, his day in Fort Simpson, N.W.T. was modest and humble — a promise kept after weather impeded a visit to the small community three years earlier. He visited the Dene Nation homeland, speaking with national Indigenous leaders. Among many pledges and words of comfort, he said when it came to life and dignity, “Be assured that the Church will walk that path with you.”
Well, needless to point out, that shared path is missing a traveller. As has been well-documented in recent days, calls for the pontiff to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools have intensified after the discovery in Kamloops, B.C. And with the prospect of similar discoveries at other sites, one would think it better to beg for forgiveness sooner rather than later, as these crimes against the innocent come more and more into focus.
