As Pope Francis visits Canada, the Church may be too belatedly sorry – by Rosie DiManno (Toronto Star – July 25, 2022)

https://www.thestar.com/

And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those that trespass against us.
The Lord’s Prayer

There is apology and, just as powerful, there is forgiveness.

Pope Francis will repent for the Catholic Church, for all the sins that were visited upon Indigenous people over a century of residential school harm. I hope the Holy Father, and the church he leads, will also receive mercy, if not absolution.

Because forgiveness is a state of divine grace. It is why Catholics go to confession, also known as reconciliation or penance — acknowledgment of our sinfulness.

The Vatican has much to regret in its obliteration of Indigenous spirituality and culture, in ripping children away from their families: An Indian Affairs officer at the door, an RCMP constable sternly at the shoulder of a removed son or daughter, missionaries who severed their charges from language, teachers who inflicted abusive punishment.

To take the Indian out of the Indian — a term that’s no longer acceptable, used here in its historical context.

For the rest of this article: https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2022/07/24/as-pope-francis-visits-canada-the-church-may-be-too-belatedly-sorry.html