Papal apology an ‘olive branch’ for Métis delegation

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This article was published 22/04/2022 (1443 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Métis Federation representatives are leaving Rome with an apology from Pope Francis for the damages caused by Catholic-run residential schools.

Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand and 55 representatives met with the Pope Thursday in Vatican City. It was a historic moment that marks an opportunity for healing and revitalization of Catholicism in Manitoba, Chartrand said.

“The olive branch he gave was a very powerful message to us,” Chartrand said. “The extension of the olive branch, reaching out to us, and we’re accepting on behalf of our people — the Red River Métis — to bring it home and tell our people he’s reaching out to us and he wants us to reach back and be part of this journey together.”

The group gave the Pope a scroll that explained the Métis history with the church, beaded moccasins, a Louis Riel coin and beaded crosses. They received a brass olive branch in return.

The delegation went to Rome in search of revitalization and renewal of the Catholic church in Métis communities, Chartrand said, along with the anticipation of an apology and reconciliation.

The historic papal apology marks a step forward after more than a century of trauma created by the residential school system in Canada.

“We can’t change history, but we can change the future,” Chartrand said.

“I do forgive the church. This was predators … This is not in the Bible. This is not God’s way. The mistake the Vatican made in history is they hid and protected those people that were predators.”

On April 1, after meetings with First Nations, Inuit and Métis groups, Pope Francis apologized for the conduct of church members involved in residential schools. He stood before a room of nearly 200 Indigenous delegates and asked for God’s forgiveness for the actions of the Catholic Church.

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.

The Manitoba Métis Federation — the government of the Red River Métis — organized the separate meeting with the Pope because the group last year withdrew from the Métis National Council following years of internal conflict.

Part of Chartrand’s mission while visiting Rome was to implore the Pope to visit Manitoba and step foot on Red River Métis soil during his trip to Canada and bless Louis Riel and Rev. Noël-Joseph Ritchot’s graves.

“Riel not only gave his life for us, but he also gave his life for the Catholic Church. He helped create the province that we have now,” he said.

“I do truly pray and hope he will come and bless Louis Riel, because if you want to talk healing for our people, there is nothing more powerful than that.”

The Red River Métis have been involved with the church since before Canada was named as a nation, he said. In 1817, the Métis petitioned for Catholic churches to be built in the Prairies and Manitoba and for the creation of parishes. The first church was built in 1819.

“We all need faith one way or another no matter which pathway we choose. For us, we still have a strong, strong connection with the Catholic Church … we have different denominations, but there are more Catholics than any other denomination in our community.”

Citizen responses in reaction to the apology have been incredible and speak to the pride of the nation, he said.

He described those who went to Rome as apostles who will return to Manitoba to tell the story of the Pope’s apology and how he is looking for forgiveness, healing and a path forward to reconciliation.

The biggest concern now in Métis communities is churches closing down and priests rotating between congregations, covering mass areas of territory. It is a scary situation, Chartrand said, because it could cause religion to fade and affects a family’s ability to honour major life events such as the death of a loved one.

“If we start losing all of that, we are going to be lost and we are going to be in no man’s land.”

» ckemp@brandonsun.com, with files from The Canadian Press

» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp