‘Penitential’ or Passive? Implications of the Pope’s Visit for Reconciliation in Canada and Beyond
Kai Siallagan, Investigative Journalist
August 21, 2022
“Reconciliation requires action, not passiveness.”
This was the message of the Honourable Murray Sinclair—former head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and incumbent Chancellor of Queen’s University—in his official statement on Pope Francis’ visit to Canada in July 2022.
The Pope embarked on a “penitential pilgrimage” across the country, issuing a series of formal apologies for the role of the Catholic Church in operating residential schools. Residential schools were institutions that forcefully assimilated Indigenous children across Canada from the 1870s to 1996. The system was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Indigenous children, lasting intergenerational trauma, and has been termed “cultural genocide.”
While the extent of the Vatican’s influence on residential school policies has been debated, it is clear that the Catholic Church as an institution played a prominent role in the abuses faced by the students.
The first-of-its-kind visit turned heads worldwide, with coverage from media outlets such as CNN, China Daily, and Le Monde. The visit follows Pope Francis’ April apology in response to Call to Action 58 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which “call[s] upon the Pope to issue an apology to the Survivors, their families, and communities.”
The “pilgrimage” received mixed feedback from Indigenous communities and non-Indigenous observers. For some, the symbolic value of the papal apology represents a significant step in the reconciliation process. The most important outcome was undoubtedly its impact on survivors of residential schools; for many, the Pope’s personal expression of guilt signified a positive stride.
Others have criticised the Pope for his conspicuous failure to commit to tangible action. It is yet to be seen whether the Vatican will pursue concrete measures toward reconciliation in the coming months. The next steps may include awareness of Indigenous issues, legal reform, and shifts towards international cooperation in reconciliation.
“Despite this historic apology, the Holy Father’s statement has left a deep hole in the acknowledgement of the full role of the Church in the Residential School system,” said Chancellor Sinclair of the visit.
Dr. Hugo Choquette, adjunct assistant professor of Aboriginal Law at the Queen’s School of Law, concurred with the Chancellor’s sentiments.
“Any event that brings [residential schools] more into the public eye is a good step,” he told The Observer. However, he added that media attention garnered by the visit is only effective if it maintains a long-term presence among Canadian and international audiences.
“It is important to remember that apologies are meaningful [...] but they are not a substitute for the hard work and actions that are needed to deal with the impacts of colonialism,” Choquette said.
The Vatican can only go so far to contribute to the Truth and Reconciliation Process within Canada. Renouncing the Doctrine of Discovery (the belief that European Christians have a legitimate claim to the lands of non-Christians, helping justify settler-colonialism and slavery), and related papal bulls are but symbolic gestures, albeit significant in discussions of decolonisation.
However, the legitimacy of the Canadian state rests on colonial assumptions of Christian-European superiority embedded in historical legislation and legal cases. Any meaningful pursuit of reconciliation requires systemic changes to the structure of Canadian law.
In a recent conference, the Chancellor noted that the term “decolonisation” can be misleading; it implies movement away from certain systems, but often lacks discussions about what is to replace coloniality. It is just as important to build new systems as to deconstruct old ones.
As of now, it is unclear what, if any, impact the Pope’s apologies may have on Indigenous peoples in Canada and other national contexts. The pilgrimage may be an early step in broader recognition of colonial wrongs, encouraging further reconciliation efforts in colonized regions worldwide.
There have been similar steps towards reconciliation internationally, including the repatriation of historical objects to the Blackfoot Confederacy (Indigenous peoples situated in present-day Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana) from a British museum earlier this year. Likewise, the Canadian Embassy in France hosted a virtual event in February to stimulate discussions on colonial histories. Such events may symbolise the beginnings of more global approaches towards Indigenous issues.
While the primary burden of reconciliation lies with Canada, we can’t overlook the importance of cooperation between all those involved in colonisation. Perhaps the papal visit is the beginning of a shift toward more widespread efforts at truth and reconciliation, but it is only one part of an ongoing process.
An apology is all too often seen as an endpoint — instead, it marks the beginning of a journey towards reconciliation.