Posted on August 3, 2022

Canadian Indigenous People Respond to the Pope’s Apology

Farah Khan, Yahoo, August 2, 2022

As Pope Francis completes a week-long tour in Canada, Yahoo News Canada asked Indigenous advocates and activists across the country to speak on the impact of his visit and apology for the Catholic Church’s role in the brutal residential school regime {snip}

Riley Yesno. Indigenous rights activist and writer.

The Pope’s apology is significant insofar as it brings many survivors a sense of peace. {snip} However, I am also cognizant of how profoundly this apology and visit has failed many Indigenous people {snip}Apologies are impactful, and they are also the bare minimum. {snip}

Jasmine Girard is from Kazaagitaway’igamaag First Nation. She works as a Housing Coordinator for an Indigenous Development Corporation.

Rescind the doctrine of discovery, an apology without retribution holds no gravity. {snip} The apology is another failed response that has a graver impact on the victim than the actual abuse itself. {snip}