'I really want him to feel the horror': B.C. chiefs, survivors react to news of forthcoming papal visit
Chief Harvey McLeod already knows what he would say to the Pope, if he ever had the chance to meet him.
"My first words would be, that 'while I was at that school, I talked to your God and told him to leave me alone,'" said McLeod, chief of the Upper Nicola Band and a survivor of the Kamloops Residential School.
McLeod, who has talked openly about suffering abuse, and about how the priests and nuns at the school tried to erase his identity, reacted to news that the pontiff planned to visit Canada, with a sense of relief.
"The church has finally heard," McLeod said.
For Chief Jen Thomas of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, whose father Stanley also survived residential schools, the announcement was a shock.
"Our survivors have been waiting for this and we just thought it wasn’t going to happen," Thomas said, calling her reaction "mixed."
The Vatican has not indicated whether Pope Francis plans to make a formal apology for the Catholic church’s role in running the majority of residential schools.
Those schools, including the Kamloops school, where the unmarked graves of about 215 children were discovered in May, forcibly took more than 150,000 Indigenous children from their families for over a century.
In a two sentence statement, the Vatican said the trip would be a journey "in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples."
It said the date would be "settled in due course."
Thomas and McLeod agreed that whenever the pontiff visits, and wherever he travels in Canada, they will expect more than words.
"I really want him to feel the horror and the anger that we all feel about how we were treated in these institutions," McLeod said.
"And he's not going to get that until he looks into the eye of a survivor and says 'yes, I hear you and I am I sincerely apologizing,'" he added.
"It’s the actions that we need to see," Thomas said.
"Is the pope apologizing for our survivors, or is he apologizing because he needs to do it for himself?" she questioned.
McLeod, who has talked about his personal journey from anger to forgiveness, said he hoped the visit would provide another opening to undo some of the long-lasting damage done to his family and his community by a system often referred to as cultural genocide.
"What can we do to correct? What can we do to move forward?" McLeod asked.
"In this country we’ve been talking reconciliation, and it’s so easy to use but at the same time so difficult to understand."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.