Canada’s Catholic Bishops Have Responsibility to Apologize for Residential Schools: Minister – National

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Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Canadian Catholic bishops have a responsibility to apologize for the role of their church and their predecessors in the residential school system.

His comments came as the federal government announced it would make $ 27 million of previously announced money available to Indigenous communities grappling with the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked burial sites in the United States. old Kamloops Residential School.

“I’m not a Catholic, I spent enough time in a Catholic institution to get a perspective on things,” Miller said when asked at a press conference if he thought that an apology from the Catholic Church was needed.

“I think it’s a shame that they didn’t…. Certainly my Catholic friends I speak to believe this should be done. There is a responsibility that rests entirely on the shoulder of the Council of Bishops of Canada.

Reverend J. Michael Miller, the current Shepherd of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, apologized to all First Nations governments, Indigenous communities, families and citizens for the Church’s involvement in a letter published Wednesday.

“The Church was unquestionably wrong in implementing a colonialist government policy that wreaked havoc on children, families and communities,” he said.

Miller is committed to being “transparent with our records and records regarding all residential schools,” offered mental health support and counseling to family members and others related to the school, as well as assistance technological and professional to help the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and “other affected nations in any way they choose to honor, recover and remember their deceased children.”

Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc chief said Thursday the community had located the remains of 215 children in unmarked burial grounds at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, through the use of ground-penetrating radar. .

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett told the House of Commons during an emergency debate Tuesday night that “we are all deeply shaken by this horrific discovery.”

Bennett reiterated his horror at the press conference with Miller on Wednesday, and said the federal government will be there to support Indigenous communities on how they want to move forward.

“The communities know what they need and we will be there to support them on their journey,” she said.

Bennett also faced questions about whether she believed the Catholic Pope should apologize for the church’s role in the residential school system, as there are more and more calls to do so.

She said it is clear that many Indigenous people “want to hear the Pope apologize.”

“It’s up to Catholics in this country to ask their church to do better, including not only everything they have in terms of records that haven’t been shared, but also what we’ve heard over the course of the Pope’s apology weekend being very much front and center, ”she said.

Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, who is Métis, called the discovery “traumatic” and added that it will be important for the federal government to listen to the needs of Indigenous communities rather than unilaterally deciding how to move forward. forward as a result of the discovery. .

Residential schools were residential schools created by the Canadian federal government and administered by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, Methodist and Presbyterian churches as part of a federal policy to strip Indigenous children of their culture and identity.

Sir John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada, described the intention of the schools as follows:

“When the school is on the reserve, the child lives with his parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and although he can learn to read and write, his habits, training and way of thinking are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write. I was strongly urged, as the head of the department, that Indian children should be removed as much as possible from parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central industrial training schools where they are. acquire the habits and ways of thinking of white men.

A total of 139 residential schools across the country have been identified in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. A school map is available online.

The Catholic Church ran around 60% of the schools, but it is the only one that did not issue a formal apology to the victims, who suffered horrific physical, mental and sexual abuse in the schools.

On Friday, the Society of Indian Residential School Survivors (IRSSS) asked Pope Francis to apologize.

“My creator asks their god why their followers would do this to us. The Pope must answer this question. We can no longer deny it, now there is physical evidence of these anonymous graves, ”said Rick Alex of the Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation and IRSSS co-chair in a press release.

Bishop Brian Dunn of the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth in Nova Scotia issued a statement recognizing the participation of Catholics in the residential school system and called the news of the discovery of 215 “absolutely heartbreaking.”

“I am aware that this tragedy has a significant impact on all Aboriginal communities, especially those here in Nova Scotia,” he said in the release.

“As Archbishop, I want to offer my prayers for these children, their families and their communities. Recognizing and bringing to light this dark chapter in our Catholic and Canadian history is difficult but necessary in order to be able to do and be better, ”continued Dunn.

“I continue to be committed to all those who were abused and hurt by the residential school experience, in which Church members knowingly or unknowingly participated.

Global News emailed the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) on Tuesday asking if the church was planning to apologize.

Richard Gagnon, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, expressed his “sadness” in a statement which called the discovery of the remains “shocking.”

The statement made no apologies and did not recognize the central role of the Catholic Church in the residential school system.

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their residential school experience.

—With files from Global’s Katie Dangerfield, Leslie Young, Amy Judd and Emerald Bensadoun.