Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of the Catholics and President of the Vatican, traveled to Canada to meet with indigenous groups who have been subjected to physical violence and sexual abuse in schools affiliated with the Catholic Church in the past.
Pope departed for Canada on an ITA Airlines plane in the morning.
In the statement made by the Vatican, it was stated that the Pope met with journalists who followed his travels during the Rome-Edmonton flight and described this visit to Canada as a “pilgrimage of repentance”.
The spiritual leader of the Catholics will start his contacts on his 6-day trip to Canada from the city of Edmonton. Besides Edmonton, the Pope will also visit the cities of Quebec and Iqaluit.
The Pope will meet with indigenous groups who have been subjected to physical violence and sexual abuse in boarding schools affiliated with the Catholic Church, for which he has apologized before during his contacts in this country.
The Italian press also wrote that Pope Francis would express his regret for what happened in the past during this visit and that this was aimed at “reconciliation” with the Canadian indigenous people.
In the meantime, it was seen that the Pope, who has been participating in events in a wheelchair for a while due to his knee problems, was put on the plane to Canada this morning by a private ambulance with an elevator.
PAPA APPROVED CANADA LOCAL GROUPS IN APRIL
Pope Pope Francis said on April 1, after meeting with Canadian indigenous groups “Metis”, “Inuit” and “First Nations” in March, that there was “anger, shame and bitterness” over the past treatment of children in Canadian Catholic boarding schools. “I beg God’s forgiveness for the deplorable behavior of some members of the Church, and I want to express my heartfelt pain to you. I also agree with my Canadian Bishop brothers in apologizing to you.” had used the words.
LOCAL GROUPS WERE WAITING FOR THIS “APPOINTMENT”
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Canada, which investigated the issue, completed its study on church-affiliated boarding schools operating between 1831-1996 in 2015 and a 4,000-page report was published. The commission described the events as “cultural genocide”.
The report in question stated that at least 4,200 indigenous children died in these schools as a result of abuse or neglect.
In Canada, many unofficial child graves were found in the gardens of some of the boarding schools under the control of the Catholic Church.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has repeatedly apologized to the indigenous people after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, requested an apology from the Pope during his official visit to the Vatican in 2017. (AA)