The Bishops’ Conference of Canada issued an announcement on June 29, stating that it will form a delegation of indigenous people to visit the Vatican and meet with the Pope from December 17 to 20, 2021. The announcement stated that it is hoped that this meeting will lead the Canadian aborigines and the Catholic Church to a common future of peace and harmony.
(Vatican News Network)The Bishops’ Conference of Canada issued an announcement on June 29 stating that a delegation of indigenous peoples in the country plans to visit the Vatican from December 17 to 20, 2021, to meet with Pope Francis. This will be a time “to promote meaningful Dialogue and healing”. The delegation was composed of representatives of different elderly groups, cultural guardian groups, boarding school survivors, and youth groups from across the country, accompanied by several bishops and indigenous leaders.
The announcement stated: “Recently, the remains of children were found in the cemetery of the former Indian boarding school in Kamloops, British Columbia. This reminds us of the tragic history that we can still feel today.” Dialogues with indigenous groups at different levels, as well as bilateral dialogues with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit national organizations, the Bishops’ Conference initiated an initiative to prepare a delegation to communicate with the church. Meet Zong.”
The announcement went on to emphasize that “the Pope is firmly committed to directly listening to the opinions of the indigenous people, expressing his close care for the indigenous people, and working hard to eliminate the impact of colonization”, reflecting on “the role of the church in the boarding school system.” The planned visit will provide the Pope with an opportunity to respond to the “continuing impact of the suffering of the indigenous people and the trauma of intergenerational”.
Finally, the announcement of the Bishops’ Conference stated that it is hoped that the meeting with the Pope in the near future will “lead the indigenous people of Canada and the Catholic Church towards a common future of peace and harmony.”
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