GlobalNews – A Métis group from Manitoba was flying to Rome on Monday ahead of a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican later this week.
The delegation from the Manitoba Métis Federation on Thursday will be the first to meet the head of the Roman Catholic Church since he apologized to Indigenous people for the deplorable conduct of church members involved in residential schools.
The Pope apologized at the Vatican early this month following a week of meetings with Métis, Inuit and First Nations delegates.
The Manitoba Métis Federation had a separate meeting organized with Francis. David Chartrand, the federation’s president, says many Métis are deeply connected to the church.
“Now that His Holiness has issued an apology to all Indigenous peoples, we can focus our meeting on the relationship between the Red River Metis and the Catholic Church — past, present, and future,” Chartrand said in a news release Monday. Some bishops will be accompanying the Manitoba Métis delegates to the Vatican.
“It is the desire of all the Bishops in Canada to move forward with reconciliation and to build strong relationships with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples,” Richard Gagnon, archbishop of Winnipeg, said in a news release. An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, more than 60 per cent of which were run by the Catholic Church.
Manitoba Metis delegation at the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis
CTVNews – The Manitoba Metis Federation is set to meet with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Thursday in what will be the Pope’s first meeting with an Indigenous delegation since he apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system.
“Clearly, hope and revitalization are going to be key in our meeting and we’re definitely focused on trying to ensure that the Pope knows who the Metis are,” Federation president David Chartrand told CTV’s Your Morning from Rome on Wednesday.
The Pope delivered his apology in Rome on April 1 after holding audiences with delegations representing the First Nations, Inuit and Metis. He also committed to visiting Canada and delivering apologies to survivors in person sometime in the summer.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, nella Patria nazionale del Red River Métis, Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), il Governo Nazionale dei Red River Métis, noti anche come Manitoba Métis, insieme ai Vescovi del Manitoba, è lieto di annunciare gli ultimi dettagli per l’incontro con Sua Santità, Papa Francesco. Sarà il primo incontro di una delle popolazioni indigene del Canada con Sua Santità, da quando si è scusato per il male arrecato dai sistemi della scuola residenziale e della scuola diurna.
Questo storico incontro, che si terrà il 21 aprile 2022, è in fase di preparazione da diversi anni, ma gli sforzi sono stati ostacolati dalla pandemia di COVID-19. Il governo dei Red River Métis invierà una delegazione di vari gruppi di Anziani/Custodi delle Conoscenze, sopravvissuti alle scuole residenziali e giovani della Patria dei Red River Métis, accompagnati da un gruppetto di Vescovi.
