When Indigenous delegates visited Pope Francis in the Vatican, elders shared stories with him about their experience in residential schools. Others were there to share parts of their culture with him according to Métis delegate Alex Kusturok.
"I was there providing music, I had to show the Pope a part of our culture that is still there and alive and well.”
After a week of meetings with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis delegates, Francis apologized for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system and said he would come to Canada. Kusturok talked about what the reaction was like after the apology.
“To be in the room and to see the elders and to hear them share about how they felt after the apology, it was completely moving. The Metis elder, Angie, you know her heart was full, and she felt that with this apology she waited years for, then she could continue on with her healing.”
Finally, Kusturok talked about what needs to happen to continue the process of healing and reconciliation going forward.
“We need to follow up with action and whatever these elders need is what they have to get. There needs to be action that follows up, but the apology was a great first step.”
There is no date set for the Pope’s visit to Canada, but it could happen as early as this summer.
