Canadian Catholic dioceses have failed for years in upholding promises made to residential school survivors. Will Pope Francis' visit change that?
“It was a weasel clause,” the former Manitoba regional chief of the Assembly of First Nations said in a recent interview.In total, that fundraising campaign raised less than $4 million. It made up one piece of the compensation package Catholic entities agreed to pay under the settlement struck in 2006 with Ottawa, former students and Indigenous leaders.
Now, bishops are preparing for the impending arrival of Pope Francis, who is expected to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church's role in operating residential schools. Bishops are members of a national assembly called the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The group has said it wasn't a party to the original settlement where the “best efforts” fundraiser originated, but nonetheless acknowledged its failure and said it drew important lessons from what happened.
For Archbishop of Regina Don Bolen, who oversees a diocese that includes 25 First Nations communities, it's all about building relationships and prioritizing the work of reconciliation.The archdiocese has set a goal of contributing $2 million over five years, $1.5 million of which it has hit, he said.
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