Pope Francis Visits Canada for Apology to Native Peoples
2022-07-26
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1Pope Francis visited a small community in the Canadian province of Alberta on Monday to offer an apology for the Roman Catholic Church's mistreatment of native people.
2The main native groups of Canada include the Metis, First Nation and Inuit.
3The apology was described as "long-awaited."
4Francis is following through on a decision he made last April.
5That is when a group of indigenous people went to the Vatican to speak with the church leader.
6After the meeting, the Pope called the treatment of Canada's native people "deplorable," and asked for forgiveness and promised to make his July visit.
7When he arrived at the event in the small community of Maskwacis,
8he said: "I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples."
9The Pope spoke in his native language of Spanish and his words were translated into English.
10Many of those in attendance wore traditional clothing decorated with beads and feathered head coverings.
11The Pope arrived in a wheelchair and watched traditional songs and dances from a raised platform.
12Maskwacis is the location where the Ermineskin Indian Residential School once stood.
13It is about 100 kilometers south of the city of Edmonton, Alberta.
14The schools were set up by Roman Catholic missionaries to educate the children of indigenous groups in Canada.
15Missionaries are religious people who go to other countries and try to get people to join their religion.
16In their work, the missionaries set up religious schools that operated for about 100 years, ending in the 1970s.
17However, native children were separated from their families at the missionary schools.
18Because they were away from home, the children were not able to learn traditions from older family members and community leaders.
19While they were at the schools, some of the children were treated badly.
20Some were physically abused by school leaders and others were sexually abused.
21About 150,000 young people went to the schools over the years.
22The Canadian government has also talked about its part in permitting the schools and harming the children.
23The Canadian government admitted the children were given physical punishment for speaking their native language while at the schools.
24Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also in Alberta with the Pope.
25He offered an apology for an "incredibly harmful government policy" last year.
26Native leaders say they believe the bad treatment of the children prevented them from doing well as adults.
27While Catholics operated most of the residential schools, others were led by Protestants.
28Protestants are another Christian religious group different from Catholics.
29In addition to the abuse, thousands of children died from disease, fires and other causes.
30Investigators say they have found locations at the schools where children who died may have been buried.
31The Pope took responsibility for the church's cooperation with the Canadian policy of mixing native people into Canadian society.
32The Pope called it "cultural destruction."
33He also said the missionaries of the time were only going along with the policy of the Canadian government.
34He went on to say that remembering the bad actions of the Catholic missionaries and the Canadian government could cause sadness and anger.
35But he said it was "necessary."
36He said it was "right to remember" the bad things that happened because forgetting leads to indifference.
37He also said that asking forgiveness is only the first step in the healing process.
38He promised an investigation into the past and research into ways the Catholic Church can help survivors.
39Francis apologized for not being able to visit all of the indigenous people of Canada who have invited him, noting the size of the country.
40Organizers wanted to make sure as many native people as possible could be present.
41Maskwacis is a center for four groups of Cree people.
42It is now home to a school that is run by local people and supports the study of native culture.
43Greg Desjarlais is a leader of a local native group.
44He said there are "mixed emotions" across Canada about the Pope's visit.
45He said the visit brings up sad feelings about the young people who died at the schools,
46but also offers hope that people might start to feel better after an apology.
47"Our people have been traumatized," he said.
48"Now I hope the world will see why our people are so hurt."
49On Monday, the Pope also visited a Catholic church whose members are mostly indigenous people.
50The church includes native languages and traditions in its religious ceremonies.
51Fernie Marty is a religious leader called an elder.
52Marty said: "I never in my life thought we would see a pope here at Sacred Heart Church."
53Francis will also visit other native groups in Canada.
54His six-day trip includes visits to other sites in Alberta, a visit to the province of Quebec and to the territory of Nunavut.
55I'm Dan Friedell.
1Pope Francis visited a small community in the Canadian province of Alberta on Monday to offer an apology for the Roman Catholic Church's mistreatment of native people. 2The main native groups of Canada include the Metis, First Nation and Inuit. 3The apology was described as "long-awaited." 4Appeal for forgiveness 5Francis is following through on a decision he made last April. That is when a group of indigenous people went to the Vatican to speak with the church leader. After the meeting, the Pope called the treatment of Canada's native people "deplorable," and asked for forgiveness and promised to make his July visit. 6When he arrived at the event in the small community of Maskwacis, he said: "I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples." The Pope spoke in his native language of Spanish and his words were translated into English. 7Many of those in attendance wore traditional clothing decorated with beads and feathered head coverings. The Pope arrived in a wheelchair and watched traditional songs and dances from a raised platform. 8Maskwacis is the location where the Ermineskin Indian Residential School once stood. It is about 100 kilometers south of the city of Edmonton, Alberta. 9The schools were set up by Roman Catholic missionaries to educate the children of indigenous groups in Canada. Missionaries are religious people who go to other countries and try to get people to join their religion. 10In their work, the missionaries set up religious schools that operated for about 100 years, ending in the 1970s. However, native children were separated from their families at the missionary schools. 11Because they were away from home, the children were not able to learn traditions from older family members and community leaders. 12While they were at the schools, some of the children were treated badly. Some were physically abused by school leaders and others were sexually abused. About 150,000 young people went to the schools over the years. 13Government policy 14The Canadian government has also talked about its part in permitting the schools and harming the children. The Canadian government admitted the children were given physical punishment for speaking their native language while at the schools. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was also in Alberta with the Pope. He offered an apology for an "incredibly harmful government policy" last year. 15Native leaders say they believe the bad treatment of the children prevented them from doing well as adults. While Catholics operated most of the residential schools, others were led by Protestants. Protestants are another Christian religious group different from Catholics. 16In addition to the abuse, thousands of children died from disease, fires and other causes. Investigators say they have found locations at the schools where children who died may have been buried. 17The Pope took responsibility for the church's cooperation with the Canadian policy of mixing native people into Canadian society. 18The Pope called it "cultural destruction." He also said the missionaries of the time were only going along with the policy of the Canadian government. 19He went on to say that remembering the bad actions of the Catholic missionaries and the Canadian government could cause sadness and anger. But he said it was "necessary." He said it was "right to remember" the bad things that happened because forgetting leads to indifference. 20He also said that asking forgiveness is only the first step in the healing process. He promised an investigation into the past and research into ways the Catholic Church can help survivors. 21Francis apologized for not being able to visit all of the indigenous people of Canada who have invited him, noting the size of the country. 22Organizers wanted to make sure as many native people as possible could be present. 23'Mixed emotions' 24Maskwacis is a center for four groups of Cree people. It is now home to a school that is run by local people and supports the study of native culture. 25Greg Desjarlais is a leader of a local native group. He said there are "mixed emotions" across Canada about the Pope's visit. He said the visit brings up sad feelings about the young people who died at the schools, but also offers hope that people might start to feel better after an apology. 26"Our people have been traumatized," he said. "Now I hope the world will see why our people are so hurt." 27On Monday, the Pope also visited a Catholic church whose members are mostly indigenous people. The church includes native languages and traditions in its religious ceremonies. 28Fernie Marty is a religious leader called an elder. Marty said: "I never in my life thought we would see a pope here at Sacred Heart Church." 29Francis will also visit other native groups in Canada. His six-day trip includes visits to other sites in Alberta, a visit to the province of Quebec and to the territory of Nunavut. 30I'm Dan Friedell. 31Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report from the Associated Press. 32__________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34await - v. to wait for someone or something 35incredible - adj. difficult or impossible to believe 36indigenous - adj. produced, living, or existing naturally in a particular region or environment 37beg - v. to ask strongly for something 38decorate - v. to add something that will make an item look nicer 39location -n. a place 40trauma - n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time 41______________________________________________________________ 42What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. 43We have a new comment system. 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