Was it an apology? – The Catholic Register

February 6, 2025

Pope Benedict’s 2009 meeting with Indigenous leaders

Near the end of last year, The B.C. Catholic began a series of articles examining over a century of truth, healing and reconciliation between the Archdiocese of Vancouver and Canada’s Indigenous peoples. This week, Editor Paul Schratz continues the series by exploring Pope Benedict XVI’s historic 2009 apology — a milestone in the Church’s acknowledgment of its role in the residential school system and its commitment to the ongoing journey of healing and reconciliation.

In June 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered an apology on behalf of the Government of Canada to Aboriginal peoples for the abuse, suffering and cultural dislocation caused by assimilative, government-sanctioned residential schools. The apology specifically addressed the government’s policies of forced removal, the abuse suffered by many children and the generational social consequences.

Read More: https://www.catholicregister.org/item/1686-was-it-an-apology