{"id":79570,"date":"2022-07-21T15:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T19:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=79570"},"modified":"2022-07-21T15:45:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T19:45:00","slug":"brock-experts-say-actions-must-accompany-popes-expected-apology-to-indigenous-communities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2022\/07\/brock-experts-say-actions-must-accompany-popes-expected-apology-to-indigenous-communities\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock experts say actions must accompany Pope\u2019s expected apology to Indigenous communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Pope Francis arrives in Canada Sunday to continue reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, he must deliver more than an apology for the Catholic Church\u2019s role in the residential school system, say Brock University experts.<\/p>\n

The Pope will meet with Indigenous communities in Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut from July 24 to 29 and is expected to issue an apology while on Canadian soil \u2014 one of 94 Calls to Action laid out by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cAction must follow words,\u201d says Brock University Assistant Professor of Education Stanley \u2018Bobby\u2019 Henry<\/strong>, a member of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a repeating pattern for organizations, agencies and governments to follow an apology with concrete action that results in meaningful change, but this has not always been the case,\u201d he says. \u201cFormer Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized on behalf of Canada and Canadians but later argued that Canada has no history of colonialism. In short, an apology doesn’t bring home the children lost to the system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry says one of the key actions that must now take place is the release of additional records by the Catholic Church and other organizations that oversaw residential schools.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know many scholars and experts in the field of residential schools have said some government and Church records are intentionally being withheld from the public,\u201d he says. \u201cIf this is the case, we will never fully know the truth. We will forever be lodged in figuring out the truth when we should be reconciling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with releasing its records, the Church and the current Pope must fully denounce the historical methodology it used to justify colonization, Henry says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Church needs to denounce the Doctrine of Discovery,\u201d he says of the centuries-old papal statements that sought to morally and legally justify the displacement of Indigenous Peoples by explorers. \u201cResidential schools were the weapons of colonization, whereas ancient legal doctrines allowed the mistreatment of Indigenous people to happen. If our humanity was respected throughout history and our rights were not denied, I firmly believe Canada’s history would have looked very different.\u201d<\/p>\n

Should action be taken by the Catholic Church, it would be considered part of the restorative justice process, which is intended to repair harm and restore relationships \u201ctoward a greater sense of equilibrium,\u201d says Shannon Moore, Professor in Brock\u2019s Department of Child and Youth Studies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Participation in the process must be voluntary, sensitive towards power relationships and social and structural inequalities, and is shaped by the needs of the communities impacted by wrongdoing or crime, says Moore, a counselling psychologist and registered psychotherapist who has been engaged in restorative justice research and practice for more than two decades.<\/p>\n

The issuing of an apology must begin with understanding, acknowledging and taking responsibility for the truth and the impact of harm caused, she says.<\/p>\n

Moore says there are four steps to making an authentic, effective apology:<\/p>\n