Pope Francis’s apology for residential schools doesn’t acknowledge institutional responsibility
Pope Francis’s apology for residential schools doesn’t acknowledge institutional responsibility
By Jeremy M. Bergen
Pope Francis made a public statement today to the delegations of Indigenous people who met with him this week to discuss personal experiences in residential schools or their harmful legacies.
His statement included the words “I am very sorry,” and is being reported as an apology for residential schools.
As a white settler theologian, it is not for me to say what the apology means to those to whom it was addressed. But as a scholar who studies church apologies for historical wrongs, and their place in processes of reconciliation, I note there are significant shortcomings to the Pope’s statement.
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