Delegates from the Manitoba Métis Federation met with Pope Francis in the Vatican this morning. Federation President David Chartrand spoke about the meeting in a press conference afterward. He said the Pope asked for forgiveness, for what the Catholic Church has done.
The MMF delegates presented the pope with a scroll, translated into Spanish, that showed the history of the Red River Métis and the Catholic Church. President Chartrand spoke about the process of reconciliation and healing, as well as the residential schools themselves.
We acknowledge that these were individuals that were preditors, evil, and did so much harm to so many. It wasn't the Church itself, the Bible, or God's message of how we interact with all peoples in the world, including Indigenous.
The Pope presented the delegates with a brass olive branch, that will go into their museum that is currently being built in Winnipeg.
