Skip to Content

Canadian Catholic bishops apologize for residential schools

Andrew Cuomo

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Catholic bishops in Canada are apologizing “unequivocally” to Indigenous peoples for the suffering endured in residential schools, just as Pope Francis prepares to meet with Indigenous leaders at the Vatican later this fall. The institutions held children taken from families across the nation. From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 First Nations children were required to attend state-funded Christian schools as part of a program to assimilate them into Canadian society. They were forced to convert to Christianity and not allowed to speak their Native languages. Many were beaten and verbally abused, and up to 6,000 are said to have died. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appealed directly to the Pope for the apology during a visit to the Vatican in 2017. 

Article Topic Follows: AP National News

Jump to comments ↓

Associated Press

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KVIA ABC 7 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content