Some survivors of Canada’s residential school system who were present during Pope Francis’s apology described the moment as historic and “bittersweet,” but said that the highly anticipated apology will only be meaningful if it’s followed by concrete action.
Samson Cree Nation Chief Vernon Saddleback while speaking during a press conference after the Pope’s apology, said “Words cannot describe how important today is for the healing journey for a lot of First Nations people.”
While noting that “I’m really grateful for this event to happen,” he calls the pope’s apology a historic moment not only for Canada, but for all First Nations communities.
“It was an amazing day, a historic day…words fail me to say what this means to my people.”
In a similar vein, Frog Leg Cree Nation Chief Greg Desjarlais voiced gratitude that a papal apology finally happened in Canada, saying, “today is a bittersweet day.”
“It’s bitter in some people’s minds and hearts, some people are upset, but it’s also sweet for some that have moved on and moved into a direction of healing.
“There is a better life for our people out there, even though our ancestors went through the social ills, the atrocities, the abuse.”
Desjarlais said as members of First Nations communities, survivors can take the pope’s apology, “accept it, and move forward the best we know how, or we can be stuck.”
“I want to encourage survivors to move forward in a good way,” he said, calling them “the drivers that will help change the landscape for our children and grandchildren.”
He added that he felt that the pope’s apology was sincere, and that Francis “really did some homework, that he really dug in and made it as meaningful as he could.”
During his meeting with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities on the grounds of the former Ermineskin residential school in Maskwacis, Alberta, a place that was once home to the largest number of residential schools in Canada, Francis said he was “deeply sorry” for the ways in which “many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the Indigenous peoples” and for the Catholic Church’s complicity “in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of that time, which culminated in the system of residential schools.”
In his reaction, Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation stressed the importance of Pope Francis’s apology being delivered on the grounds of a former residential school, where the atrocities that many children endured took place.
He said “As we approached this day, there was a sense of hope, a sense of hope that this apology will bring healing to them immediately”.
Alexis said, some people “were triggered” by the pope’s words, and old wounds were reopened.
“We can’t just leave it like that,” Alexis said, and stressed the need to do more, saying “we have to really take the steps to help heal and recover our people.”
He continued that both the Catholic Church and the government “need to step up to this. You can’t just say I’m sorry and walk away. There has to be effort, there has to be work, and more meaningful action behind it”
He added that “There’s a lot of work that still has to happen.”
A survivor, Evelyn Korkmaz, who attended St. Anne’s residential school, said she has waited 50 years for the pope’s apology, “and finally today I heard it.”
Calling the moment “overwhelming,” Korkmaz said that when she heard the pope say he was sorry, “Part of me is rejoiced, part of me is sad, part of me is numb.”
“I am glad I lived long enough to have witnessed this apology, but I want more, because 50 years is too long to wait for an apology,” she said, saying she was disappointed that the pope did not present “a workplan” of how he intends to continue the path of reconciliation, “because reconciliation means many different things to different people.”
On his part, Jon Cryer, an elder, knowledge keeper and survivor from Samson Cree Nation, recounted his experience of physical and spiritual abuse at a residential school, saying he witnessed classmates being beaten for speaking their native languages, and was told that the traditional spirituality practiced by his parents and grandparents was both a “superstition” and the work of the devil.
In view of the vast damage done, “I ask myself, is this apology enough?” he said. He, however, said, the apology is “a huge opportunity” for civil and ecclesial leaders to make real progress in healing and reconciliation.
“The church and the rest of Canada, the government, while we’re doing this work of healing, I’m expecting that they also will be doing their work. After all, we’re in this together,” he said.
Also reacting, Chief Randy Ermineskin of Ermineskin Cree Nation, who is a residential school survivor, said the apology was highly significant, and that as the pope spoke, his mind was filled with memories of his classmates and the abuses they all endured.
He said “It’s about truth, justice, healing, reconciliation, but one thing I want to talk about today is hope.
“We have to really encourage and bring hope to our communities.”
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