Pope Francis has apologised to Canada’s native people on their home land for the Church’s role in schools where indigenous children were abused, branding forced cultural assimilation “evil” and a “disastrous error”.
Speaking near the site of a former school, Francis apologised for Christian support of the “colonising mentality” of the times. He called for a “serious investigation” of the so-called residential schools and more assistance to help survivors and descendants heal.