GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE / Portal
Pope Francis on his return from a trip to Canada, July 29, 2022. Portal / Guglielmo Mangiapane / Pool
RELIGION – Pope Francis acknowledged a “genocide” in the tragedy of indigenous boarding schools in Canada this Saturday, July 30, as he returned from a six-day trip during which he asked the Native American population on numerous occasions for “forgiveness” asked
“I didn’t say the word (during the trip) because it didn’t come to mind, but I did describe the genocide. And I apologized and asked for forgiveness for this process, which is genocide,” the Pope said during a press conference on the plane that took him back to Rome.
“I’m desperate. I beg your pardon,” the Pope said earlier this week in Maskwacis, Alberta. Referring to “still open wounds,” he acknowledged the responsibility of certain members of the Church in this system where “children have suffered physical, verbal, psychological, and spiritual abuse.”
My apologies for the manner in which many members of the Church have collaborated in these sectarian destruction projects… https://t.co/c9ab0wPGB2
– Pope Francis (@Pontifex_fr)
These words from the sovereign Pope were long-awaited and greeted with loud applause by these peoples – First Nations, Métis and Inuit – who now make up 5% of Canada’s population.
Pope Francis has declined
Decreased by severe knee pain that forced him to get around in a wheelchair, upon returning by plane, the father confided that he could not “travel” at the same pace as before, and also mentioned the possibility of “putting aside”.
“I don’t think I can keep the pace of travel like before. I believe that at my age and with these limitations, in order to be able to serve the Church, I must take care of myself or, on the contrary, think about the possibility of putting myself aside,” he explained during a press conference on the plane that took him to the Friday night into Saturday night from his trip to Canada.
“Honestly, it’s not a disaster. We can change popes. This is not a problem. But I think I have to tone down a bit in that effort,” the Pope added to reporters after returning from his 37th trip abroad since his election in 2013.
“This trip was a bit of a test: it’s true that we can’t travel in this state, we might have to change the style a bit,” he admitted, while confiding that he “would try to travel further, conceded be close to people because it is a way of serving, of closeness”.
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