‘Missed opportunity’: Pope will skip B.C. on reconciliation trip to Canada
Global News
Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir's nation in Kamloops has been called "ground zero" for a national reckoning on the violent truth of Canada's colonization.
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First Nations leaders in British Columbia say they’re disappointed Pope Francis won’t visit them in their home territories on his reconciliation pilgrimage to Canada this summer.
The Holy Father’s itinerary, released Friday morning, includes stops in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit between July 24 and 29, although specific sites within those cities have not been confirmed.
“I’m still holding onto a bit of hope that he may change his mind,” said Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir.
“I know that the residential school here in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc has impacted not only our community, but 203 First Nations across British Columbia. To me, that is has a very large impact.”
Casimir’s nation in Kamloops has been called “ground zero” for a national reckoning on the violent truth of Canada’s colonization. It is considered by many to be a catalyst for several healing initiatives now underway, including the Pope’s visit to Turtle Island — what settlers call North America.
Nearly a year ago, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc revealed the presence of 215 unmarked burial sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, sending shockwaves of grief and anger across the country.
Casimir invited Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to visit for Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — an invitation he snubbed. During the Indigenous delegation to Rome in March, the chief said she invited Pope Francis to visit this summer, and is now experiencing “a bit of déjà vu.”