Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc invites Pope to visit Kamloops, calls for apology from Catholic Church
Posted October 28, 2021 7:09 am.
Last Updated October 28, 2021 7:15 am.
Editor’s note: This article contains some disturbing details about experiences at residential schools in Canada and may be upsetting to some readers. For those in need of emotional support, the 24-hour Residential Schools Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419.
The Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc is inviting the Pope to see the unmarked grave sites at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School firsthand on his upcoming visit to Canada.
The community released a powerful statement Thursday in response to the pledge from the head of the Catholic Church of reconciliation, but Kukpi7/Chief Rosanne Casimir says without real action, the trip will be meaningless.
“For the ‘truth’ component of Truth and Reconciliation, there has to be an acknowledgment, of the true role of the Catholic Church in the deaths of children placed in their care,” the statement reads.
“The Roman Catholic Church has repeatedly refused to accept responsibility or formally apologize for its direct role in the numerous and horrific abuses committed against Indigenous children through the Residential School system,” the statement adds.
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The Vatican said in a brief statement on Wednesday that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has invited the Pope to make an apostolic journey to Canada “also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.”
A date for the Pope’s visit has yet to be determined and details on where he will be visiting and who he will be speaking with has not been publicly disclosed.
The trip must include a stop in Kamloops, the Chief and Council says.
“The missing children, whom Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc refer to as Le Estcwéý, exemplify Indian Residential Schools as a system that perpetuated mass human rights violations that may suggest criminal behavior, including violations of international humanitarian law, and genocide,” the Chief and Council’s statement said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with Chief Rosanne Casimir on his visit to the Tk’emlups the Sewepemc in Kamloops, B.C., Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
In addition to an apology, all relevant records must be released to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help all Indigenous communities identify those buried on the grounds of former residential schools, as well as understand the true scope of what happened there.
As well, the church needs to meet its “legal and moral financial obligations to Indian Residential School Survivors.”
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In May, the remains of 215 children were documented at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The following month, the Cowessess First Nation confirmed 751 unmarked graves on the grounds of a former residential school in Saskatchewan.
“It would be deeply meaningful to welcome the Holy See, Pope Francis, to Tk’emlups te Secwepemc, as our heart wrenching news was the first of the wave of confirmations of unmarked graves with thousands more lives lost coming to light. It’d be a historic moment for Kamloops Residential Indian School Survivors and for our community who continues to navigate the impacts following the horrific confirmation of the missing children,” Casimir said.
Since the discovery at the Kamloops site, more than 1,000 unmarked graves have been found across Canada. The majority of the schools were run by the Catholic Church.
Read more: ‘It took science to wake the world up’: Kamloops residential school findings released
The Pope had already agreed to meet with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit leaders at the Vatican in December. Casimir is confirmed to be one of the Indigenous leaders planning to attend, along with British Columbia Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee.
The last time there was a papal visit in Canada was in 2002 when Pope John Paul II was in Toronto.
With files from Denise Wong and Michael Ranger
