Pope says Indigenous people suffered genocide at residential schools | RiseNB

Pope says Indigenous people suffered genocide at residential schools

Pope Francis says the abuses Indigenous Peoples faced while being forced to attend residential schools amounted to genocide.

The pontiff made the comment while speaking to reporters on a flight back to Rome following his six-day tour of Canada.

Francis apologized multiple times throughout the week for abuses, cultural assimilation and colonization that Indigenous Peoples were subjected to by some members of the church.

Some Indigenous people said they were disappointed that during his visit, the Pope did not name the crimes and abuses that students and survivors faced.

The Pope says he didn’t think to use the word genocide during his trip, calling it a technical term.

He says he instead choose to describe the church and Canadian government’s attempts at eradicating culture and tradition.

Read the full article here