indigenous leaders in canada have welcomed this apology as long overdue tens of thousands of children were removed from their communities separated from their families and their culture and sent to state-funded residential schools mostly run by the catholic church the canadian government has since admitted that many of the children sent to these schools suffered physical and sexual abuse and in recent years the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves near these facilities has really drawn global attention to the treatment that those children received pope francis met with leaders from several indigenous nations at the vatican earlier this
week and he told them afterwards that he felt sorrow and shame for what occurred he described the behaviour of those who committed abuse as deplorable and apologized to those affected saying that he was seeking forgiveness here is how natan obed the leader of the inuit delegation to the vatican responded to that apology he said it's something that people have been longing to hear for decades it will be now up to us as indigenous people on how we internalize that and how we respond to it but in the moment i couldn't help but thinking about how
people can change the world and how individuals can see that there is justice and that there is a path towards justice and it certainly made me think of all the other people who can act with us in paths to justice associated with reconciliation and also the justice for sexual abuse and violence against children now pope francis indicated that he is hoping to visit canada later this year so that he can deliver this apology to survivors in person he suggested that that visit might take place in july you
