Pope Francis delivered an unprecedented apology to the Indigenous community of Canada for the forced assimilation of Indigenous people into Christian society, that occurred up to the 1970s. He highlighted how the program was a “disastrous error”, in an event outside a residential school near Edmonton, Alberta. “I humbly bed forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples,” said Francis. “In the face of this deplorable evil, the Church kneels before God and implores his forgiveness for the sins of her children.”

Francis is planning multiple visits around Canada, the first being to four Cree nations to pray and announce this apology on behalf of the Church. Francis was very outspoken about the forced assimilation, calling the abuses by Canadian officials “deplorable” and took responsibility for the Catholic Church taking part in the “cultural genocide” of the Native population. Besides taking the blame, Francis also noted that Catholic missionaries were going along with Canadian government policy, highlighting its “colonizing mentality.” He also made sure to note the horrors committed, including suppressing language, marginalizing families, and physical, verbal, and psychological abuse. 

“It’s something that is needed, not only for people to hear but for the church to be accountable,” said Sandi Harper in an interview with the AP, who attended the event in honour of their mother, who attended one of the schools part of the forced assimilation. “[Francis] recognizes this road to reconciliation is going to take time, but he is really on board with us.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also attended the event, and in the past called the assimilation an “incredibly harmful government policy.”

While many were hopeful that the apology was progressive, some at the event were unhappy with how long this took. In an interview with CNN, Joe Daniels, who attended an assimilating school in Fort Alexander, noted how “someone had to go to Rome to go and practically beg this guy to apologize.” This was a reference to an April visit to the Vatican by survivors who encouraged the Pope to speak on the historic event.

The apology by the Pope is a positive in that it is finally time that the Church is taking the blame for the forced assimilation done in schools in the Americas. It is important also as Pope Francis, the first Pope from South America, a continent blended with Indigenous, Spanish, and African cultures, is travelling to the area and admitting the Church’s faults. It is also probable that this will not be the last admission of guilt and wrongdoing on the Catholic Church’s behalf.

The apology, however, does come far too late to be fully accepted by all affected. It was the first time he had apologized for this specific event since becoming the Pope almost 10 years ago. The tragedy and consequences of this assimilation are far too late to reverse, and the apology should be only the first step in trying to repair Indigenous communities in the Americas.

This was not the first time Canadian activists have called out the Catholic Church for ignoring this assimilation. From the beginning of the 19th century to the 1970s, native children in Canada were forced to attend Christian schools and Christianize into mainstream Canadian society. The Canadian government was slightly earlier in apologizing, such as the Ottawan government admitting to sexual abuse being common in schools, and citing family separation as the main cause for alcohol and drug addictions on reservations. Only recently did the Vatican pay more attention, after the remains of over 200 children were found in a cemetery in British Columbia, and when more than 750 were found in Ontario not long after. The treatment of children at these residential schools was called a “cultural genocide” by the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission starting in 2015.

The Pope intended to help in the healing process for survivors and their families, but the help might all be too late. It is, however, a sign that these events will not be forgotten without a record of the past.