Pope Francis to Visit Canada Amid Calls for Apology to the Indigenous

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Pope Francis will visit Canada as the Catholic Church seeks to rebuild bridges with the indigenous community following a horrifying scandal of abuse at Church-run residential schools, the Vatican announced Wednesday.

"The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has invited the Holy Father to make an apostolic journey to Canada, also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with indigenous peoples," it said.

"His Holiness has indicated his willingness to visit the country on a date to be settled in due course."

The Catholic Church in Canada apologized in September to the indigenous community for a century of abuse at Church-run residential schools set up by the government.

More than 1,200 unmarked graves have been discovered at three sites where indigenous children were forced to attend the schools, and searches are underway to unveil additional sites. 

Pope Francis has expressed his "pain" at the scandal but has not gone so far as to offer the apology that indigenous leaders are still calling for.

The church agreed to pay an amount of C$29 million in compensation to survivors, as part of a 2007 agreement. However, the church has faced criticism for not releasing all documents related to the residential school system and for holding compensation from survivors.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald told AFP she is ready to welcome Pope Francis when he comes to Canada "to issue a long-overdue apology" to former students and their families.

"The Catholic Church must be accountable and acknowledge their responsibility for implementing and running these institutions of assimilation and genocide," she said.

Her comments were echoed by Canada's Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller, who told reporters in Ottawa the visit is "welcome news" and that the hope is Pope Francis will present "a full and complete apology to indigenous people."

Archibald also called for compensation, including the handover of diocese lands, and for the Church to fund healing and support programs for indigenous people.

Some 150,000 indigenous children were enrolled from the late 1800s to the 1990s in 139 of the residential schools across Canada, spending months or years isolated from their families.

The indigenous children were forced to convert to Christianity, given new names, and banned from speaking their native languages.

Many were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers, and thousands are believed to have died of disease, malnutrition, or neglect.