ROME --
Survivors of residential college establishments will meet with Pope Francis on the Vatican Thursday.
The First Nation delegation led by the Meeting of First Nations (AFN) could have one hour with him.
Kukpi7 Chief Rosanne Casimir of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation in British Columbia is certainly one of 15 official delegates who will handle the Pope within the non-public assembly. Throughout her 10-minute handle she's going to personally ask him to come back to Kamloops, the place 215 unmarked graves — later revised to 200 — of what's believed to be principally youngsters, had been found final yr.
It will likely be a very long time coming, as to at the present time, there has by no means been an official apology from a Pope. Residential college survivors say an apology can be extra significant if Pope Francis travelled to Canada and apologized.
They need recognition of the Catholic Church’s involvement in ruining the lives of harmless youngsters in what survivors say was an act of genocide.
Feelings are excessive, as survivors prepare to speak concerning the horrid abuses they suffered at residential establishments. All through the resort the place many survivors are staying there have been folks in tears on Wednesday.
“There might be no reconciliation with out the reality and an official apology from the top of the Catholic Church,” stated Fred Kelly, a survivor and a religious adviser for the AFN, who will likely be on the assembly.
There will likely be pow wow dancers and cultural items given to him as an indication of peace and to point out him First Nations tradition continues to be alive, even after assimilation makes an attempt.
An estimated 150,000 youngsters had been compelled or coerced to attend residential establishments. An estimated 95 per cent of these youngsters had been First Nations.
Pope Francis will meet with all three Indigenous teams on Friday. Inuit and Métis delegations met with him on the Vatican on Monday.
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