In June, we received 16, six of which explicitly mentioned the residential school issue," Valérie Roberge-Dion, the diocese's director of communications, said in a statement. In early June, the Pope addressed the residential school issue from his balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. "I join the Canadian bishops and the whole Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my closeness to the Canadian people, who have been traumatized by this shocking news." While the Pope and the Catholic Church have yet to apologize, Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine issued an apology to Indigenous communities for the role the Church played in the residential school system in Quebec. A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected.

Source: CBC News July 11, 2021 07:52 UTC