Anishinaabek: Papal apology falls short

Jul. 31—TRAVERSE CITY — In the first event of the weeklong "penitential pilgrimage," Pope Francis delivered a long-sought apology for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's "catastrophic" policy of Residential Indian Boarding Schools.

Francis said the forced assimilation of Native peoples into Christian society destroyed their cultures, severed families and marginalized generations.

"I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples," Francis said.

While the action was addressed to Indigenous communities from Canada, it was long-sought by survivors and communities impacted by the Indian residential schools south of the border in the U.S.

In northern Michigan, Anishinaabek agreed with Indigenous leaders nationally that the apology lacked acknowledgement of the full role of the church in the Residential School system.

"Something from inside of me made me cry," said Anishinaabe elder and residential school survivor Karen Wasageshik.

Wasageshik attended New L'Arbre Croche Mission School, or Holy Childhood in Harbor Springs as a child from 1973-1979 with her brother, and sister. Her father, and his siblings also attended the institution, she said. The experience has had a long-lasting imprint on her family, and community.

Instead of a childhood filled with compassion, love, and understanding, Wasageshik said, "I left that school thinking I was a sinner."

Her days at the institution were filled with fear, she explained that she was exposed to abuse at an early age, witnessing the "horror" of what went on behind closed doors.

"I was scared to be myself for so long, because I was told what to do every minute of every day, how to act ... they (nuns) told us children to tell the truth, but we would lie so we wouldn't get in trouble."

Wasageshik said that it took decades for her to unlearn that mindset.

In the 106-page report released by the Department of Interior in April, 408 boarding schools across 37 states or territories, including five in the state of Michigan between the years 1819 and 1969 were investigated. The report states that physical and sexual abuse was rampant at the institutions, with students beaten for speaking their native languages. That legacy of that abuse and isolation from family has been cited by Indigenous leaders as a root cause of the epidemic rates of alcohol and drug addiction now in Native American communities.

Indigenous leaders also called attention to Christian doctrines and documents that shaped these policies that have never been rescinded.

Pope Nicholas V's Bull established the principle of the right of conquest, which later on led to the infamous Inter Caetera Papal Bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on May 4, 1493.

It declared that any land not inhabited by Christians was available to be discovered, claimed, and exploited by Christian rulers and declared that "the Catholic faith and the Christian religion be exalted and be everywhere increased and spread, that the health of souls be cared for and that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself."

Dr. Martin Reinhardt, professor at Northern Michigan University Center for Native American studies, called for the abolishment of the papal bull.

"This papal bull sets forth a doctrine of discovery that is still used in federal US and international law today regarding claims to Indigenous lands," he said. "While the apology must certainly address the abuse, neglect, and murder of thousands of Indigenous children at boarding schools, it is imperative that people understand that the boarding schools were part of a larger conspiracy to disenfranchise Indigenous peoples from our lands and waters."

Reinhardt's mother, grandfather, uncles, friends and other relatives suffered at the hands of Catholic nuns and priests in residential boarding schools, he said, "while society looked on and did nothing."

The Pope's apology must carry with it accountability and reparations, otherwise the act of placing feathers on his head is just another example of how the Catholic Church continues to undermine the spiritual traditions of Indigenous nations, he said.

CEO of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition and citizen of the Tulalip Tribes Deborah Parker echoed calls for the immediate rescinding of the Doctrine of Discovery by the Catholic Church in a statement released earlier this week.

"An apology must include steps forward that are both justice seeking and that opens pathways for healing ... Pope Francis was asked to do exactly this by the Indigenous delegation to the Vatican four months ago and has yet to respond."

In a statement released by the President of the National Congress of Indians, Fawn Sharp called the support and partnership with churches a critical component to reconciliation.

"We cannot hold abusers accountable, seek redress for harm, or reconcile with the Church, government institutions, and in some cases, our own communities and families, until we know the fully unadulterated truth — truth the Catholic Church is actively withholding."

To date, the Department of the Interior, headed by Laguna Pueblo citizen and Cabinet Secretary Deb Haaland, identified 497 federally funded residential boarding schools in the U.S, with 156 of them associated with the Catholic Church.

The last residential school in Michigan, Holy Childhood in Harbor Springs, closed in the 1980s, as previously reported by the Record Eagle.

Wasageshik said she wants the general population to understand that this is not an issue of just the past, "it is still happening today, how we are affected, and how we suffer."

Together, the community can heal from the atrocities that the institutions, churches, and government left, she said.

The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line provides 24-hour crisis support to former Indian Residential School students and their families toll-free at 1-866-925-4419 or call the StrongHearts Native Helpline at 1-844-762-8483.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.