Pope apologizes to Canada's Indigenous people for church's role in abuse in schools

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In Edmonton, Alberta, Pope Francis​ offered an apology to Indigenous communities for the Catholic Church's role in the forced isolation and assimilation of children that took place at state-sponsored residential schools until the 1970s. Appearing at two events, the pope acknowledged that the apology would not undo the harm to Indigenous culture and said it was "only the first step, the starting point." Gerald Gladue, the son of a survivor of the residential schooling program, said he appreciated the pope's acknowledgment, telling reporters, "He is manning up and that is awesome."

Video Transcript

POPE FRANCIS: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]

GERALD GLADUE: It's the Holy Father. He's here to apologize to my mom and what she's been through. And I believe that he's true because what he's doing. And that's-- he's manning up, and that's awesome.

[APPLAUSE]