VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis on Friday apologised to Indigenous people for abuse committed at church-run residential schools in Canada, and said he hoped to visit the country in July.

“I ask for God’s forgiveness for the deplorable conduct of these members of the Catholic Church,” he said, telling Indigenous delegations at the Vatican it caused him “pain and shame”.

Numerous investigations into the former residential schools are underway across Canada after the discovery of mass unmarked graves, with more than 4,000 children believed to be missing, according to authorities.

Francis said he heard “stories of suffering, deprivation, discriminatory treatment and various forms of abuse” during meetings this week with survivors from the First Nations, Metis and Inuit groups.

“I join the Canadian bishops in asking you for forgiveness,” he said.

The 85-year old said “I hope” to travel to Canada for the country’s St Anne’s Feast Day on July 26.

“The pope’s words were necessary and I deeply appreciate them,” Cassidy Caron, president of the Metis National Council, told journalists after the meeting.

“I now look forward to his coming to Canada where he can deliver this heartfelt apology directly to our survivors and their families,” she said.

Francis heard first-hand this week of centuries of abuse committed at the schools, and the delegations had pressed him for an apology for a scandal that rocked the Catholic Church.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2022