Indigenous, religious groups in northwestern Ontario look for steps forward after papal apology
CBC
A residential school survivor and church leader in Thunder Bay, Ont., are among those who are optimistic that last week's papal apology will help the healing process for Indigenous people in Canada.
Pope Francis apologized for the conduct of some members of the Roman Catholic Church relating to Canada's residential school system, following a week of public and private meetings with First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegations.
"I feel Pope Francis has sincerity in his heart, his spirit and in his words," said Esther Diabo, a residential school survivor who lives in Thunder Bay.
Diabo said she anticipated a positive outcome following the delegation's meeting with the Pope, and believes the apology will allow for next steps in the healing process for many First Nation people.
"I also felt that he has taken on the accountability and responsibility of admitting the wrongs done to our Anishinaabe people," she said. "I would like to personally move along in my own life as I continue to heal on a daily basis."
Diabo attended St. Joseph's Residential School in Thunder Bay when she was just five years old, and later moved to St. Anne's residential school in Fort Albany before returning home when she was 13.
She said hearing the words "I am very sorry" from the Pope was emotional for her both as a residential school survivor and someone who has leaned on her own Catholic faith while never straying from Anishinaabe teachings.
"I have such strong faith in God, in our Creator that something positive was going to come out of this, and that's how you have to look at it, optimistically. You have to, you know, reach out and ask for that help if that's what you're looking for."
The president of the Thunder Bay and District Métis Council said she was also watching closely for the outcomes of the Vatican visit, and called the trip a "milestone" for the Métis community in the Thunder Bay district.
"We needed our survivors to be heard. We need the church to commit to the real acts of that reconciliation, and we're very proud of the Métis delegation that met with this Pope, including those elders, because they were able to come forward and tell their stories," said Wendy Houston.
The Métis delegation held a private audience at the Vatican and was the first of three delegations to begin the meetings. Francis sat and listened to three Métis survivors of church-run residential schools tell their stories.
Canada forced more than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children to attend residential schools between the 1880s and 1997, a policy the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called "cultural genocide."
Houston said while the apology from the Pope and the trip itself were historic, one of her biggest moments was seeing the Inuit, Métis and First Nations standing together and supporting one another.
"Those were the challenges that were faced by all those Indigenous people and groups that were there. It was a direct result of the deep, intergenerational trauma that was experienced by the families and communities that were torn apart by the residential school system," she said.