In an attempt to take meaningful steps towards reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of Canada, Pope Francis came from the Vatican to apologize in person for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools. His arrival on on July 24 in Edmonton heralded the opportunity to begin healing for a genocide that has marred Canada’s history. This trip largely came about from the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves on the grounds of former residential schools — Canada’s Indigenous history has been a topic of much discussion since the 2019 discovery of 215 bodies buried on site of a residential school in Kamloops.

Following the announcement of the trip, a great deal of excitement surrounded the visit, particularly because of the many statements and actions expected from Pope Francis. One slogan that emerged during this time was “rescind the doctrine,” alluding to the doctrine of discovery that was used to justify the early colonization of the Americas. These expectations stem largely from the close relationship between the Catholic Church and early colonialism. Many scholars of Indigenous studies argue that addressing the nature of early colonialism is crucial in current reconciliation tactics, in addition to addressing the contemporary problems that Canada’s Indigenous communities face.

Pope Francis’s trip left Canada with mixed feelings. While the Pope apologized for the “evil” of the Church workers running the schools and denounced the abuses that occurred in the schools as “deplorable,” some attendees feel that the apology fell short of truly addressing the systems of abuse designed by the Catholic Church. Additionally, the apology failed to address many other important points. Pope Francis made no mention of rescinding the doctrine of discovery that had been heavily discussed before his speech. Similarly, he omitted the topic of sexual abuse and the Catholic Church’s role as a whole in supporting the residential school system during his apology. He did not mention any actions the Church would take to further address the wrongs committed in residential schools. 

In an interview with NPR, Stephanie Scott, the executive director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, who was also present at the speech, praised some of the Pope’s words but criticized his omissions. “They should have acknowledged the children that had died, that had suffered horrific physical and sexual abuse and the fact that they were going to make reparations — and those are things in regard to returning land — you know, really supporting the healing.”

Scott suggested that the Pope’s visit was an important step forward in reconciliation, but was not enough on its own. “I know that he was making a commitment in order to support [Indigenous reconciliation], but it really needs to have actions … that’s really what the survivors that we were with were looking for.”