The federal government will keep pushing the church to apologize for its role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children in Catholic-run residential schools, as recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Bennett said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is Catholic, said he was disappointed by the Pope’s decision, stressing that reconciliation extends beyond the relationship between the government and Indigenous people. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, also a Catholic, said all institutions that played a significant role in the residential school system should apologize in order to move Canada forward on the path of reconciliation. From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend Christian schools, the majority of which were run by the Catholic Church. “If one man could simply snap his fingers, things would have been done a long time ago, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen in large institutions,” said Ouellette, who said he attends a Catholic church.

Source: National Post March 28, 2018 15:31 UTC