Pope: Church must take institutional blame for harm done to indigenous Canadians

Pope Francis blesses the people as he attends the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada July 26, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Pope Francis on Tuesday said the Roman Catholic Church should accept institutional blame for the harm done to indigenous Canadians in residential schools that tried to wipe out native cultures.

Francis made his comment during a visit to Lac Ste. Anne, a lakeside pilgrimage site about 70 km (44 miles) west of Edmonton popular with both indigenous Canadian Catholics and those of European origin.