Statement by Honourable Murray Sinclair on the Pope’s Apology

WINNIPEG — The Honourable Murray Sinclair, former senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) issued the following statement today:

“I want to recognize the importance of the Pope’s apology to Survivors, their families, and communities. For many Survivors, I know that hearing the words of contrition from the Pope was, and is, an essential factor in their personal recoveries and growth. My thoughts and prayers were with them as they listened.

When we set out Call to Action 58 in the TRC final report, the goal was always to have Survivors hear first-hand not only remorse but an acceptance of responsibility for what they were put through at the hands of the Church and other institutions.

Despite this historic apology, the Holy Father’s statement has left a deep hole in the acknowledgment of the full role of the Church in the Residential School system by placing blame on individual members of the Church. It is essential to underscore that the Church was not just an agent of the state, nor simply a participant in government policy, but was a lead co-author of the darkest chapters in the history of this land.

Driven by the Doctrine of Discovery and other Church beliefs and doctrines, Catholic leaders not only enabled the Government of Canada but pushed it even further in its work to commit cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples. In many instances, it was not just a collaboration but an instigation. There are clear examples in our history where the Church called for the Government of Canada to be more aggressive and bold in its work to destroy Indigenous culture, traditional practices, and beliefs.

It was more than the work of a few bad actors — this was a concerted institutional effort to remove children from their families and cultures, all in the name of Christian supremacy.

While an apology has been made, that same doctrine is in place.

The Pope and the Church remain silent on the most problematic tenets of its belief system: that Indigenous peoples in Canada and worldwide should not have the right to practice their faith, cultures, and traditions.

Reconciliation requires action, not passiveness. The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples specifically calls for action to restore culture, beliefs, and traditions destroyed through past actions. Failure allows the destructive agency to live with the benefit of those past misdeeds. For the children and descendants of Survivors, it is not enough that you have stopped abusing them; you must act to help them recover and commit to never doing this again.

As the Pope continues his pilgrimage to meet First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Survivors this week, I hope he will take this to heart. There is a better path that the Church and all Canadians can follow: taking responsibility for past actions and resolving to do better on this journey of reconciliation.

We must commit ourselves to talk to and about each other with respect.”