
Indigenous leaders from Canada and survivors of the country’s notorious residential schools meet with Pope Francis starting Monday in hopes of securing a papal apology for abuses committed against them by Catholic priests and school workers.
The meetings, postponed from December because of the pandemic, are part of the Canadian church and government's efforts to respond to Indigenous demands for justice and reparations — long-standing demands that gained traction last year after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves outside some of the schools.