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Exploring Stakeholder: "Catholic Church"
Updates on this page: 79
May 1, 2024
Haida Elder’s Lawsuit Against the Catholic Church Clears a Hurdle
A proposed class action case targets an Edmonton priest’s residential school denialism. Aaron Hemens YesterdayIndigiNews Aaron Hemens is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter and an award-winning photographer, journalist and a visitor in unceded syilx Okanagan territory. This piece was originally published by IndigiNews. – [Editor’s note: Place names in this piece are in quotation marks to honour the...
April 22, 2024
Haida residential school survivor alleges defamation from priest
Calgary court to decide whether proposed class action lawsuit by Elder Sphenia Jones will go ahead WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC Indigenous: A Haida elder and residential school survivor is leading a proposed class action lawsuit against the Catholic Church and one of its priests over what she alleges are “false and deeply hurtful” denialist...
March 30, 2024
The Pope supports restitution of Indigenous items to Canada. So why haven’t they come home?
Pope Francis has said he supports the restitution of the items held in the Vatican’s museums – and yet, so far, very little has happened Hilda Nicholas, director of language and cultural centre in Kanehsatà:ke, Que. on March 20, 2024. Nicholas wants to see the Vatican wampum belt returned closer to home, so that children...
March 14, 2024
The Church has chosen to burn bridges with Inuit instead of aiming for justice
Special to The Globe and Mail: Tanya Taluga – Inuit leader Natan Obed’s plea to the head of the Catholic Church to intervene on the extradition of a French Oblate priest charged with sexual assault in Canada was one of the most poignant moments I witnessed in Rome in 2022. Mr. Obed, the president of...
November 7, 2023
Senate Committee provides little pushback on Catholic representatives over residential school documents
Windspeaker.com: Archbishop Murray Chatlain of the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas, Father Velichor Abaranam Jerome, general archivist of the General House in Rome, and Father Warren Brown, representative of the OMI general administration. The Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples may have been shocked two weeks ago when witnesses told them about the difficulties they were having in...
October 30, 2023
Cadaver dogs searching for unmarked graves at former Kenora residential school site uncover 22 ‘alerts’
The alerts in addition to 171 plausible burial sites detected at former St. Mary’s site in January Warning: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: Wauzhushk Onigum First Nation in northwestern Ontario says cadaver dogs conducting ground searches of a former residential school site have found 22 “alerts” indicating the underground presence of historical human remains....
October 26, 2023
Senate Committee shocked by difficulties faced gathering residential school records from Catholic Church
“Who specifically asks for a 21-year NDA? Who within their organization needs to die within that 21 years that is being protected?” — Saskatchewan Treaty Commissioner Mary Musqua-Culbertson Saskatchewan Treaty Commissioner Mary Musqua-Culbertson Windspeaker.com: Saskatchewan Treaty Commissioner Mary Musqua-Culbertson didn’t mince words when she spoke to members of the Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples Oct....
August 29, 2023
English River First Nation announces more findings in radar search for unmarked graves
Chief Jenny Wolverine says search has found 93 unmarked graves — 79 children and 14 infants WARNING: This article includes distressing details. CBC News: English River First Nation has found what it says are 93 unmarked graves in and around the former Beauval Indian Residential School’s cemetery, 10 more than the community announced in an initial update earlier this...
August 24, 2023
Retired judge visits Nunavut to hear Inuit sexual abuse claims against priest
By Kathleen Martens The leader of a new Oblate Safeguarding Commission has begun investigating the handling of clergy abuse allegations in Nunavut. APTN News: A retired judge was in Nunavut this week to hear more about historical allegations of child abuse against an Oblate Catholic priest. André Denis, formerly of the Superior Court of Quebec, was...
July 25, 2023
Maskwacis Pope anniversary: One year later, a need for more action
It’s been one year since Pope Francis told the assembled crowd: ‘I am deeply sorry’ CBC News: One year ago, Peyasu Wuttunee stood at a sacred fire in Maskwacis, Alta., next to residential school survivors and their family members. He was there to offer support as people dried their tears with tissues, placed them in...
July 22, 2023
Residential school survivors still waiting for next steps a year after papal visit
Some survivors say they feel ‘used’ and ‘disappointed’ by lack of progress A year after the Pope’s visit, Indigenous people frustrated by slow church action: Duration 2:12 Indigenous people in Canada are disappointed by what they say is delayed action from the Catholic Church one year after Pope Francis visited Canada and apologized for the church’s...
July 21, 2023
Anishinabe nation in Manitoba prepares to excavate 14 anomalies
Minegoziibe Anishinabe suspects there may be unmarked graves underneath Catholic church and site of former residential school A First Nation plans to excavate the basement of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in northwestern Manitoba. Photo courtesy Justin Richard Warning: This story contains details about child abuse and residential schools that may be...
July 20, 2023
Senate committee demands to know why all residential school records have yet to be turned over
“Every time an announcement of anomalies, reflections or recoveries are made, communities are being inundated by people emailing or phoning them to attack them and saying, ‘This didn’t happen’.” — Special Interlocutor Kimberly Murray Senator Brian Francis Windspeaker.com: Senate Standing Committee on Indigenous Peoples chair Senator Brian Francis calls a report released July 19 a...
June 29, 2023
Radar search at northern Alberta residential school uncovers 88 suspected graves
Research team recommends further investigation near cemetery grounds WARNING: This story contains distressing details. CBC News: Canadian Press – Sucker Creek First Nation Chief Roderick Willier remembers never feeling safe during the decade he spent at a residential school in northern Alberta. “I always had to stay on high alert when I was there,” Willier...
June 13, 2023
Catholic Church’s reconciliation fund draws mixed reaction from residential school survivors
$10M of promised $30M has been raised following questions about past compensation efforts CBC News: A national Catholic Church reconciliation fund is one-third of the way to its $30-million target. One church-appointed survivor overseeing the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund said it’s a good start, but other survivors said the church doesn’t appear to be making a serious effort. ” ‘We’ll get there...
June 12, 2023
‘Get at the truth’: Judge to study handling of sex allegations against Nunavut priest
A retired Quebec judge is to lead a review into how the Oblates handled past allegations that a former priest sexually abused Inuit children in Nunavut. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, OMI Lacombe Canada and the Oblates of the Province of France said Monday they have appointed former Superior Court justice Andre Denis to lead the...
May 1, 2023
‘The right gesture’: Talks underway for Vatican to return Indigenous artifacts, Pope says
Vatican’s collection of artifacts includes ceremonial crafts from Indigenous Peoples in Canada Toronto Star: Pope Francis said Sunday that talks were underway to return colonial-era artifacts in the Vatican Museum that were acquired from Indigenous Peoples in Canada and voiced a willingness to return other problematic objects in the Vatican’s collection on a case-bycase basis....
April 10, 2023
Vatican’s repudiation of Doctrine of Discovery should be considered a first step only, say First Nations leaders
The church must “decree Indigenous traditions and ways of being as valuable, worthy of dignity and respect, and essential to humanity’s continued evolution and growth.” —National Chief RoseAnne Archibald Windspeaker.com: International Chief Wilton Littlechild of the Ermineskin Cree Nation said he was sure that if there was a Pope willing to repudiate the Doctrine of...
March 31, 2023
Mixed feelings for Vatican rescinding ‘law of colonization’
‘This is only a first step in correcting some of the wrongs in history’ ICT: Miles Morrisseau The Catholic Church has credited “dialogue with Indigenous peoples” in repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery. In a joint statement from the Dicastery for Culture and Dicastery for Integral Human Development the Vatican formally rejected “those concepts that fail to recognize...
March 30, 2023
First Peoples Law Report comment on Catholic Church regarding the Doctrine of Discovery
Here are my initial thoughts on today’s announcement from the Catholic Church regarding the Doctrine of Discovery. Best, Bruce What took so long! While today’s announcement is welcomed, it would have had more moral authority if it had been delivered by the Pope in person to Indigenous people during his visit to Canada last year. ...
March 30, 2023
Vatican’s disavowal of Doctrine of Discovery a good step but ‘fundamental change’ still needed: Manitoba elder
Shift needed in ‘attitudes, behaviour, laws and policies from that statement,’ says Ernie Daniels CBC News: The Vatican’s repudiation of what’s known as the Doctrine of Discovery is welcome, but there is still a long way to go toward reconciliation with Indigenous people, says a Manitoba residential school survivor. “On the surface it sounds good,...
March 15, 2023
Former Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations chief unhappy with lack of progress after papal visit
NationTalk: Global News: George Arcand Jr., the former grand chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations, says more than six months after Pope Francis visited Canada to deliver an apology on his people’s land, contact between First Nations leaders, Ottawa and the church has been almost non-existent. Ahead of his departure from the...
January 18, 2023
Residential school records needed to answer ‘hard questions’: special interlocutor
The records are important because they represent ‘a path to the truth,’ says Kimberly Murray. The fight is not over to find records that could answer “hard questions” about unmarked graves at Canada’s residential schools, including who the missing children were and how they died, said the woman appointed to work with Indigenous communities in...
October 1, 2022
Catholic Church says it will take 4 more years to raise $30M for survivors
CCCB pledges continued reconciliation efforts, but territorial questions remain. APTN News: The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) concluded its four-day plenary assembly with a press conference where they announced further efforts towards reconciliation – but not the cash promised to go with it. Last year, the CCCB announced it would raise $30 million for...
August 20, 2022
Deal freeing Catholic entities from $25M campaign for residential schools released
Canadian Press: OTTAWA – Canada agreed to “forever discharge” Catholic entities from their promise to raise $25 million for residential school survivors and also picked up their legal bill, a final release document shows. The Canadian Press obtained a signed copy of the 2015 agreement through federal Access-to-Information laws, marking what appears to be the...
August 1, 2022
‘VERY PROFOUND’: Hundreds of residential school photos found in Rome archives
Winnipeg Sun: WINNIPEG — Raymond Frogner says when he found images of residential school students in the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate archives in Rome, he knew he was looking at something important. “It did have a very historic feeling to it, very profound,” the head archivist for the Winnipeg-based Centre for Truth and Reconciliation...
July 30, 2022
Why Pope Francis may be hesitant to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery
CBC: Pope Francis’s apology for the Catholic Church’s role in Indigenous residential schools in Canada has raised questions about whether he would formally rescind the church’s Doctrine of Discovery. The doctrine, dating back to the 15th century, included a series of edicts known as papal bulls, that were later used to justify colonizing Indigenous lands. But any hesitation...
July 30, 2022
Pope says Indigenous people suffered genocide at residential schools
Toronto Star: ROME – Pope Francis says the abuses Indigenous Peoples faced while being forced to attend residential schools amounted to genocide. The pontiff made the comment Friday to reporters on his flight from Iqaluit back to Rome following his six-day tour of Canada. Francis apologized multiple times throughout the week for the role the...
July 28, 2022
Pope Francis acknowledges ‘sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people’ for first time on Canadian trip
QUEBEC CITY—On his second-last day in Canada, Pope Francis for the first time acknowledged the “sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people” committed by members of the Catholic Church in residential schools. Speaking during an evening prayer session with Catholic cardinals, bishops and other members of the clergy, the Pope said that the church must...
July 27, 2022
In U.S., Indigenous groups echo Canadian complaints that Pope’s apology falls short
Indian Country Today (ICT) – Canadian Press: WASHINGTON – The “penitential pilgrimage” by Pope Francis to heal the relationship between Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the Catholic Church has been resonating in the United States, a country coming to terms with its own troubled history of residential schools. In U.S., too, faint praise for papal...
July 27, 2022
Representative’s Statement on Pope Francis’s Visit to Canada
“The most important day of an apology is the day after, and the year after. We all need to be looking at what the Pope does then.” Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada NationTalk: With those wise words, Dr. Blackstock this week crystalized the essence of Pope Francis’s...
July 26, 2022
Pope’s apology doesn’t acknowledge church’s role as ‘co-author’ of dark chapter: Murray Sinclair
CBC: The former Manitoba senator who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada says there’s a “deep hole” in the apology issued by Pope Francis Monday for the role Catholics played in Canada’s residential school system. Murray Sinclair says the historic apology, although meaningful to many residential school survivors and their families, fell short of Call to Action...
July 26, 2022
MKO Response to Papal Apology
Treaty Six Territory, Edmonton, AB – Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) is issuing the following statement in response to the Papal apology delivered by the Pope on July 25, 2022. Grand Chief Garrison Settee states: “Taking the time to accompany MKO Survivors to attend a historic meeting with the Pope in Treaty Six territory was...
July 26, 2022
First Nations leaders call for Pope Francis to rescind Doctrine of Discovery
NationTalk: Xʷməθkʷəyə̓m (Musqueam), Sḵwxwú7mesẖ (Squamish) and səlilw̓ətaʔɬ/sel̓ílwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, BC) — The First Nations Summit (FNS) recognizes and appreciates yesterday’s historic apology from Pope Francis and calls on the Pope to put substance and positive action to his words and continue to address the wrongs of the Catholic Church by rescinding the Papal Bull on the...
July 26, 2022
Métis National Council president on split reaction to papal apology
CTV News Edmonton: Métis reaction to Pope Francis’ apology to Indigenous People in Canada on Monday was mixed, with some accepting the pontiff’s words as genuine, others wanting more, and many demanding their trauma be recognized more fully. “Reconciliation – it didn’t begin and it didn’t happen today. Though we did, I feel, make another...
July 25, 2022
AMC and AFN Manitoba Respond to the Pope Francis’ Apology
NationTalk: TREATY SIX TERRITORY, ALBERTA – Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse, Indian day School Survivor, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Acting Grand Chief Cornell McLean, and Residential School Survivors, including former AFN National Chief Phil Fontaine, today reflected on Pope Francis’ historic apology on Treaty Six Territory. The Pope’s six-day visit...
July 25, 2022
National Chief RoseAnne Archibald finds Pope Francis’ apology falls short
CBC: Although AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald appreciated the personal nature of Pope Francis’ apology she also felt that the apology fell short on a number of fronts: Failure to rescind the Doctrine of Discovery that was the primary instrument of colonization for the stealing of Indigenous land and genocide of Indigenous people. This doctrine...
July 22, 2022
Letter from National Chief and Regional Chief to Prime Minister and Governor General on Papal Visit
Governor General of CanadaRideau Hall1 Sussex Drive Ottawa, OntarioK1A 0A1 Sent via email The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.Prime Minister of CanadaLangevin BlockOttawa, OntarioK1A 0A2 Sent via email Re: Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Canada Dear Excellency and Prime Minister, I am grateful for my invitation to the Citadelle upon the...
July 22, 2022
Invialuit Statement on Pope’s visit
Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) has respectfully declined an invitation to participate in the Papal visit to Iqaluit on July 29, 2022, as it remains unclear if a formal apology will be made or not. The Roman Catholic Church operated three (3) residential schools in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR). Inuvialuit continue to bear the burden...
June 24, 2022
Pope to visit former residential school
Toronto Star – The program for Pope Francis’s trip to Canada next month includes a visit to the site of a former Alberta residential school with survivors, the Vatican said Thursday. The papal visit is set to start in Edmonton on July 24 and end in Iqaluit on July 29. It is to include public...
June 17, 2022
Retired priest, 92, charged with assault in Manitoba residential school case
Toronto Star: A 92-year-old retired priest has been charged after a decade-long investigation into the Fort Alexander Residential School in Manitoba. Arthur Masse faces one count of indecent assault in relation to a 10-year-old girl who was a student at the school, RCMP said Friday. The alleged offence took place between 1968 and 1970 when...
April 1, 2022
Pope Francis offers a partial apology
Pope Francis apologized to the delegation of First Nations, Métis and Inuit residential school survivors who travelled to Rome for meetings at the Vatican. The apology , however, was “For the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church, I ask for God’s forgiveness”. Not the role of the Catholic Church itself but individuals...
March 19, 2022
Missionary Oblates to open up Rome archives to National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
CBC – Raymond Frogner, head of archives for the NCTR, will be visiting the Rome archives of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate to review and digitize residential school-related records. He said the NCTR is still negotiating with the Oblates to access the personnel files of priests and residential school staff. He said the Oblates are...
March 1, 2022
Grouard IRS (St. Bernard’s IRS)
Grouard IRS (AKA – St. Bernard’s IRS – The Kapawe’no First Nation in northern Alberta announced the discovery of 169 potential unmarked graves on the former grounds of the St. Bernard’s IRS...
March 1, 2022
St. Bernard’s IRS (Grouard Mission)
Globe and Mail – The Kapawe’no First Nation in northern Alberta announced on Tuesday the discovery of 169 potential unmarked graves on the former grounds of the St. Bernard’s Indian Residential School (1894-1961), another in a growing number of school burial sites. Kapawe’no First Nation, located near High Prairie, about 350 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, worked...
February 15, 2022
Fort Pelly IRS and St. Philip’s IRS
Toronto Star – The discovery of 54 potential graves of children forced to attend two residential schools on Keeseekoose First Nation land was announced to a silent gathering of community members and media… Meanwhile, Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said the Catholic Church, and others who ran the school, must...
February 15, 2022
Keeseekoose First Nation
Fort Pelly Residential School and St. Philip’s Residential School Feb. 15, 2022: Toronto Star – The discovery of 54 potential graves of children forced to attend two residential schools on Keeseekoose First Nation land was announced to a silent gathering of community members and media… Meanwhile, Chief Bobby Cameron of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations...
January 28, 2022
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops establish a new registered charity
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops – Canada’s Catholic Bishops have agreed to establish a new registered charity to support and advance healing and reconciliation initiatives. The charity is expected to manage the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund, which will accept contributions from 73 dioceses across Canada in order to fulfill the $30 million financial commitment made by...
January 26, 2022
St. Josephs’ Mission Residential School
William Lake First Nation Toronto Star – Chief Willie Sellars of the William Lake First Nation delivered preliminary results from the first phase of an investigation into St. Josephs’ Mission Residential School. 93 potential human burials have been found in an area near a historic cemetery at the school site. Current data suggest that 50...
January 11, 2022
Sisters of Saint Anne
NationTalk – The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) and the Sisters of Saint Ann (SSA) are pleased to announce a new working relationship to access the SSA’s records concerning their teaching and support roles in residential schools. This relationship builds on the SSA’s earlier disclosure and release of records to the Truth and...
December 21, 2021
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller open to an independent review of the residential school compensation deal
CBC – Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller says he’s “absolutely open” to an independent review of the residential school compensation deal reached between the federal government and Catholic Church….Advocates say while that’s encouraging news, Miller could show good faith by immediately releasing key government documents related to the deal he admits are already in his...
November 10, 2021
Indigenous Delegation to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops – announce that 25-30 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Elders, knowledge keepers, residential school survivors, and youth will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican from December 17-20, 2021, accompanied by a small group of Canadian Bishops. The delegation has been planned through ongoing dialogue with the Assembly of First...
October 27, 2021
Pope Francis agrees to make an “apostolic journey to Canada”
CBC – The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops announced that Pope Francis had accepted their invitation to make “an apostolic journey to Canada “also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.” Rev. Raymond Poisson, CCCB president. “We pray that Pope Francis’ visit to Canada will be a significant milestone...
October 18, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Globe and Mail – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was publicly reprimanded by the chief of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation after a ceremony in which he paid his first respects to missing children believed to be buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Ms. Casimir said the First...
September 30, 2021
Marievale Indian Residential School
Cowessess First Nation Toronto Star – Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme announced the discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the site of the former Marievale Indian Residential School in southeastern Saskatchewan “which operated from 1898 until 1997, and was run by the Catholic Church for most of its history”. “We will find more bodies...
September 28, 2021
Examination of “in-kind log raises questions about legitimacy of services delivered
Globe and Mail – Documents obtained by the Globe and Mail through an access-to-information request to the federal government include an “in-kind log.” It contains brief descriptions of the services provided by Catholic entities. Those services were required under a national residential schools settlement reached between Indigenous groups, former students, the federal government and religious...
September 27, 2021
Bishops of Canada commit to nation-wide collective financial target of $30 million
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops – The Bishops of Canada are making a nation-wide collective financial commitment to support healing and reconciliation initiatives for residential school survivors, their families, and their communities. With a target of $30 million over up to five years, this will include initiatives in every region of the country. The commitment...
September 24, 2021
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops open letter of apology to Indigenous people
Global News – In an open letter, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) expressed their “profound remorse” for their participation in the system, which led to the suppression of Indigenous languages and culture. “We acknowledge the grave abuses that were committed by some members of our Catholic community; physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural, and...
July 16, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Toronto Star – Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation released a report on the preliminary findings of their search of the 215 unmarked graves: Revising the initial estimate to 200 “targets of interest” – probable graves Calling on the federal government to help identify any remains in the unmarked graves Demanding...
July 16, 2021
Court officials refuse to release Catholic Church document describing “In-Kind Services”
CBC – A Roman Catholic Church document claiming the church provided $25 million of “in-kind services” to residential school survivors is sitting inside a Regina courthouse, but officials are refusing to release it. The document is said to outline “in-kind services” that the church agreed to provide as part of a deal reached with the...
July 13, 2021
Kuper Island Indian Residential School
Penelakut First Nation Toronto Star – Penelakut Tribe Chief Joan Brown “has told surrounding First Nations that it has found the unmarked graves of 160 or more people on the grounds of the former residential school”. Kuper Island School on Penelakut Island was operated by the Catholic Church until 1969. Outbreaks of deadly disease were...
July 6, 2021
$292M fundraising for Church vs $3.9M for Indian Residential school survivors
CBC – Catholic officials said in 2015 that they could only fundraise a total of $3.9 of the $25M they were asked to fundraise for residential school survivors. However, since signing the landmark Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement in 2005, Canadian Catholic dioceses have either spent or are fundraising $292 million for cathedrals and other...
July 1, 2021
Pope Francis agrees to meet Indigenous representatives
Associated Press – “Pope Francis has agreed to meet with Indigenous survivors of Canada’s notorious residential schools amid calls for a papal apology for the Catholic Church’s role in the abuse and death of thousands of native children.”...
June 30, 2021
St. Eugene Mission School
Ktunaxa Nation, community of Aq’am Toronto Star – Chief Jason Louie of The Lower Kootenay Band announced that they had discovered “182 sets of human remains in unmarked graves…flagged near the location of a former residential school – St. Eugene Mission School – in Cranbrook, B.C…from the member bands of Ktunaxa nation, and neighbouring First...
June 26, 2021
Marievale Indian Residential School
Cowessess First Nation Toronto Star – Chief Cadmus Delorme said the First Nation has since identified about 300 unmarked graves. Not all were believed to belong to children. Catholic Church parishioners are thought to have been buried there, as well as members of neighbouring communities. The First Nation worked with historical records from the Roman...
June 7, 2021
Pope Francis response to discovery of unmarked graves at Kamloops IRS
Toronto Star – “In a speech Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, and in a statement posted on Twitter, Pope Francis addressed the news that the remains of 215 children had been found at a former residential school site in Kamloops, B.C. expressing his ‘closeness to the Canadian People who had been traumatized by (the) shocking...
June 6, 2021
Missionary Oblates commit to handing over residential school records
Toronto Star – The Missionary of Oblates of Mary Immaculate “says it will disclose all historical documents in its possession… They operated 48 schools in Canada, including the Marieval IRS and the Kamloops IRS…In the statement, the Oblates said the work is not complete because of complications with provincial and national privacy laws....
June 6, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Toronto Star – The Missionary of Oblates of Mary Immaculate “says it will disclose all historical documents in its possession… They operated 48 schools in Canada, including the Marieval IRS and the Kamloops IRS…In the statement, the Oblates said the work is not complete because of complications with provincial and...
June 5, 2021
Resistance of Missionary Oblates to release residential school records
Toronto Star – The federal government, so far, has refused to legally compel the Catholic Church to release all documents relating the residential school system. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who operated the Kamloops Residential School “have yet to release any records about the Kamloops school. The Catholic order, which ran about 47% of...
June 5, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Toronto Star – The federal government, so far, has refused to legally compel the Catholic Church to release all documents relating the residential school system. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who operated the Kamloops Residential School “have yet to release any records about the Kamloops school. The Catholic order,...
June 3, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Murray Sinclair, who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission “called for an independent investigation of the broader question of unmarked sites across the country and demanded it not be conducted under the auspices of the federal government.”...
June 2, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) and the Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre (IRSHDC) at UBC – NCTR and IRSHDC re calling on the federal government to work in collaboration with residential school Survivors and Indigenous governments to establish a national framework for investigation and protection of...
June 1, 2021
Muskowekwan Indian Residential School
CTV News – In 2018 and 2019, the First Nation worked with the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Alberta to use ground-penetrating radar to find unmarked or unidentified graves of children who attended the school. Through that process, along with water line construction done in the 1990’s, the First Nation has identified at...
June 1, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Toronto Star – In 2009 – when Conservatives were in power – there had been a request for $1.5 million, which would have been used to help locate gravesites, among other things. The request was denied. The landmark Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report on the legacy of the residential school...
May 28, 2021
Kamloops Indian Residential School
Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation Toronto Star – The bodies of 215 Indigenous children were discovered in unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School located in the territory of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation. The Truth and Reconciliation records the death of 51 children dying at the Kamloops Residential School between...
June 1, 2018
Catholic Orders
Some Catholic orders still withholding promised residential school records: Grey Nuns Missing 3,000 photos and litigation records. The Grey Nuns want the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) at The University of Manitoba to bear all travel and associated costs to duplicate the records even though the court order from the Settlement Agreement requires...
May 2, 2018
Parliament calls on Pope Francis to apologize and for Church to resume fund raising efforts
Toronto Star – Parliament of Canada votes 269 to 10 across all party lines to call on Pope Francis to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in the Indigenous Residential School system and also to call on the Catholic Church to “resume best efforts” to raise funds as agreed in the 2006 settlement deal between...
March 28, 2018
Pope Francis refuse to apologize
Refusal of Pope Francis to apologize for the role in operating and managing up to 60% of the Residential schools in Canada. Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops stated that the pope could not “personally” apologize.“ The Catholic Church is the only church that has not formally apologized to the survivors. Perry Bellegarde, National Chief for...
January 6, 2016
Reimbursements to other Church Parties
Catholic Register – As a result of the Catholic fundraising campaign falling more than 80 per cent short of its goal, a reimbursement has been made to the other church parties to the Settlement Agreement: Anglican Church of Canada: $2.8M to apply to its ongoing Anglican Fund for Healing and Reconciliation, which runs reconciliation projects in...