B.C. Catholic archdioceses and First Nation to sign 'sacred covenant' on Easter Sunday
The Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc will sign what is being hailed as a "sacred covenant" with the Roman Catholic archdioceses of Vancouver and Kamloops in a ceremony to take place on Easter Sunday.
The signing will be preceded by a visit to the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School where the First Nation continues to investigate the discovery of 215 possible unmarked graves.
“To bring justice to the children who never made it home is to be able to identify who they are, bringing peace to the families and truth about the children’s passing,” said Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir of the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc.
The sacred covenant will outline the historical record, establish what the parties call shared truths and contain commitments to action in the future.
Those commitments include identifying ways to memorialize the missing children and a full and transparent sharing of information that could help identify them, including archives and records.
“We wish to journey with the people of the Tk̓emlúps Nation on a path to greater healing, more understanding and increased respect,” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller of the Vancouver archdiocese.
The signing ceremony will not be open to the media or the public, and the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc say that is in part because some past events have been disrupted by so-called residential school deniers who dispute the horrific stories detailed by survivors and documented in Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports.
During a news conference Thursday, Archbishop Miller sought to distance the church from those who don’t believe the residential school system inflicted significant harm on Indigenous children, their families, and their descendants who continue to live with intergenerational trauma.
“The church has been pretty clear, very clear in fact, about the tragedy of the residential school system, the degree to which the Catholic parties collaborated, and there’s no question that this was a tragedy in the past,” he said. “And those who claim that it wasn’t, I think, are certainly misplaced in their judgement.”
As the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc continue to investigate the possible unmarked graves, Archbishop Miller said the archdiocese has made available all records in its possession in an effort to help identify the missing students.
However, he acknowledged there are records outside Vancouver, beyond his purview, that have not been made available.
“It is certainly our desire that all records be shared. There is nothing to be gained by not sharing records completely,” Archbishop Miller said.
He went on to say it is his understanding that other archdioceses within Canada are eager and willing to share records in their possession but he could not say whether that would include any records kept at the Vatican.
In the nearly three years since the initial announcement of the possible unmarked graves in May of 2021, there have been many questions about why the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc have not begun an excavation in an effort to confirm the existence of children’s bodies.
Kúkpi7 Casimir has not ruled out a possible exhumation of any potential human remains but said that is something that would need to include conversations with residential school survivors, the people of Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc and other First Nations whose children were forcibly removed to attend the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
“We have not started excavation,” said Kúkpi7 Casimir. “That is a very sensitive step moving forward.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Slovakia's populist prime minister shot multiple times in attempted assassination
Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico is in life-threatening condition after being wounded in a shooting after a political event Wednesday afternoon, according to his Facebook profile.
Transport Canada's UFO 'lead' planned to meet with U.S. intel officials, called info requests a 'wild goose chase'
Canada's transportation department had a UFO 'lead' who tried to 'quell' media interest and planned to meet with U.S. intelligence officials.
'Very expensive lunch': Sask. driver handed a cell phone ticket for using points app in McDonald's drive-thru
A warning from a Saskatoon driver about using your fast-food app while in the drive-thru line — a trip to get some free lunch cost him a lot more than he bargained for.
'The Fly' has become notorious in France after a brazen escape. What's his criminal history?
A prisoner nicknamed “The Fly” has become notorious in France overnight after a daring and bloody escape from a prison convoy in Normandy that left two guards dead.
BREAKING Ontario's 'crypto king' Aiden Pleterski arrested
Aiden Pleterski, the self-proclaimed 'crypto king' from Whitby, Ont., has been arrested in Durham Region after allegedly running a Ponzi scheme worth more than $40 million.
BREAKING Barge hits a bridge in Texas, damaging the structure and causing an oil spill
A barge hit a bridge in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into surrounding waters and closing the only road to a small island, officials said.
Person responsible for 1996 drugging of 'Titanic' crew likely not a local: Halifax police
Halifax Regional Police believe a non-resident could be responsible for the infamous drugging of numerous crew members of the 'Titanic' movie with a hallucinogenic in 1996.
Latest updates on the biggest wildfires burning in Canada
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
OPINION Your attention span is shrinking, studies say. Here's how to stay focused: Sandee LaMotte
Regaining your focus requires you to be mindful of how you are using technology -- a daunting task if you consider the average American spends at least 10 hours a day on screens.