Â鶹ӰÊÓ

Skip to main content

Indigenous delegates meet with the Pope

Share

Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors are in Rome for meetings with Pope Francis this week, hoping to secure a papal apology for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's residential school system.

CTV National News is reporting from Rome and will be providing on-the-ground coverage of the talks through daily digital updates.

A total of 32 delegates representing the First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities have travelled to Rome alongside family members and others providing support. These meetings had originally been scheduled to take place in December, but the spike in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant pushed back the meetings three months.

In addition to a public apology from the Pope on Canadian soil, the delegates are calling on the Church to return Indigenous artifacts and land, as well as provide funding to help survivors and their families heal.

This visit to the Vatican comes after nearly 2,000 confirmed or suspected unmarked graves were found across several former residential school sites since last May, when 200 unmarked graves were found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

More than 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families to attend residential schools from the late 1800s to 1996, with the goal of forcibly assimilating them to Canadian culture. Over half of these schools were operated by the Catholic Church.

There were widespread reports of physical, mental and sexual abuse at these schools. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission said in 2015 that at least one in every 50 students had died.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected