Pope Francis on Monday formally apologized and asked for forgiveness to the indigenous community in Canada for the harm done by the Catholic church during the so-called “process of assimilation”.
“I ask forgiveness for the way in which, unfortunately, many Christians adopted the colonialist mentality of the powers that oppressed the indigenous peoples, (…) I am deeply sorry, from the bottom of my heart,” the pontiff told indigenous chiefs and some 2,000 people in Maskwacis.