‘Man of compassion:’ Indigenous leaders, residential school survivors on Pope Francis

By Canadian Press on April 21, 2025.

It’s been nearly three years since Pope Francis travelled to Canada to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools. But for some Indigenous survivors, memories of the historic day remain fresh in their minds.

“His statements of apology still have a lot of impact to a lot of us residential school survivors,” Piita Irniq said in an interview following news of the pope’s death Monday.

The pontiff was 88.

Irniq was in Iqaluit in July 2022 for the pope’s final stop in Canada as part of what was described as his “penitential pilgrimage.”

The former politician was forced to attend a residential school in Chesterfield Inlet, in what is now Nunavut, where he was stripped of his Inuit culture and language and was abused by a nun.

When Francis arrived in the Nunavut, he was met by survivors who shared their experiences and showcased traditional dancing, drumming and throat singing — practices banned in residential schools.

“He came to talk to us, he wanted to hear us and he wanted to feel what we had in mind as survivors of residential school. I have a total respect for Pope Francis,” Irniq recalled.

“I always felt that he is a man of peace, he is a man of compassion, and he is a man of love for all people of the world.”

Irniq said it was important for him to perform a drum dance in front of the pope to show that Canada and the church’s effort to assimilate Indigenous Peoples didn’t work. He later gave Francis the handmade drum that Irniq made with his son.

After years of groups advocating for the head of the church to apologize to survivors on Canadian soil, Francis promised to do so in the spring of 2022.

He was a “man of his word,” said former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations Phil Fontaine.

“Pope Francis was a great man. He was humble. He was courageous. And he was responsible for giving the First Peoples, in particular survivors of the residential school experience, hope for true reconciliation.”

Fontaine was one of the first to speak publicly about abuse at residential schools when he recounted in 1990 his own experiences at the Fort Alexander Residential School in Manitoba.

About 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools. More than 60 per cent of the schools were run by the Catholic Church.

Fontaine and Irniq were part of a group that went to the Vatican in 2009 to meet former pope Benedict to request an apology. Benedict didn’t oblige.

The final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released in 2015 included a call to action urging the pope to travel to Canada to apologize.

In 2022, Fontaine made another trip to the Vatican with an Indigenous delegation. This time, Francis apologized and promised to bring his atonement to Canada.

A few months later, in Maskwacis, Alta., Francis begged for forgiveness and expressed shame for abuses committed by some members of the church, as well as for cultural destruction and forced assimilation that culminated in schools.

Fontaine said Francis asking for forgiveness helped make the reconciliation journey a bit easier for some survivors.

Many Indigenous people said the apology was necessary, especially for survivors, because it meant the head of the church finally recognized that harms were committed.

Some criticized Francis for not going far enough. They were disappointed he didn’t name the crimes and abuses.

Others called for action, not words.

“The church has to remain committed to reconciliation,” said Fontaine. “It must remain committed to the truth. And it must commit the tremendous support that it can provide us in this very difficult journey that we’re on.”

He said part of that work includes following through on calls for the Vatican to return sacred artifacts.

Groups are working with a Vatican representative to repatriate these items back to Canada, said Fontaine, adding he doesn’t expect the pope’s death to impact the effort.

Jocelyne Robinson attended Easter mass on Monday at Vancouver’s Holy Rosary Cathedral, where the congregation mourned the pope.

Robinson, who is Algonquin Anishnaabe, said she believes the pope’s apology and reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples means future dialogue on reconciliation will be infused with his legacy.

“I certainly recognize that it’s a courageous thing to do,” she said. “And, he certainly had (done) a lot of positive things … towards the end.”

Rev. Cristino Bouvette, pastor of the Sacred Heart Parish in Strathmore, Alta., sees work being done at the ground level to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

“In the time since, many conversations have happened. And I know that it will continue to go on because here we are, almost three years out since the papal visit, and it’s still very much on people’s minds,” he said.

“This is ongoing work that must continue.”

Bouvette, the national liturgical director for the pope’s visit to Canada, is Italian, Cree and Métis. His kokum, or grandmother, was a residential school survivor.

Bouvette noted there isn’t a day that goes by that he’s not reminded of the months leading up to the pope’s visit and the days that he spent working with him.

“It’s, for a Catholic priest, unforgettable.”

— With files from Chuck Chiang in Vancouver

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2025.

Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press