Manitoba Indigenous leaders among those in Rome to say farewell to Pope Francis, remembered as 'strong ally'

Indigenous leaders from Manitoba were among those who paid their past respects to Pope Francis astatine a ceremonial wide successful Rome connected Saturday, honouring his efforts to marque the Roman Catholic Church much inclusive and accountable for its mistakes, portion holding retired anticipation the adjacent pontiff volition transportation connected Francis's bequest connected reconciliation.

Francis, who had been the person of the Catholic Church since 2013, died connected Monday astatine the property of 88 aft a stroke, triggering a modulation play for the 1.4 billion-member church.

David Chartrand, the president of the Manitoba Métis Federation, was among the legion of faithful and pilgrims from astir the satellite successful Rome who lined up for hours connected Friday to wage his respects to Francis arsenic helium laic successful state in St. Peter's Basilica.

"I was not going to miss this opportunity," Chartrand said. "We beryllium him."

Saturday's ceremonial wide was not acold from the country successful the Vatican wherever Chartrand and Francis met successful 2022, erstwhile the MMF president travelled with a delegation of First Nations, Inuit and Métis radical to property for an apology connected the Catholic Church's relation successful residential schools.

In spite of COVID-19 restrictions successful place at the time, Francis made a constituent of shaking the hands of everybody successful the delegation, Chartrand said.

"Some of them really were crying. You could spot … the teardrops falling successful his manus due to the fact that they were truthful touched," Chartrand said. 

The Pope later delivered apologies astatine the Vatican, and past successful Canada, for the "evil committed by truthful galore Christians against the Indigenous peoples."

"It was the opening of healing. It was genuinely the consciousness of wherever the candle was lit, and everybody took a heavy enactment speech and said, 'OK, now we tin commencement to heal," said Chartrand.

He said portion different officials protected members of the religion who participated successful abuses successful residential schools, Francis committed the religion to "do the close thing."

"He said helium has God to forgive him. He has america to forgive him and forgive the church. So I'll ne'er hide … that petition and that promise," said Chartrand.

He said helium hopes the adjacent pope volition transportation connected with the alteration Francis sparked successful the church.

Laid 'clear path' for reconciliation: Fontaine

Phil Fontaine, who is simply a erstwhile caput of some the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and Assembly of First Nations and was 1 of the archetypal radical to talk publically astir the maltreatment helium suffered astatine residential schools, besides said helium hopes the adjacent pontiff will be arsenic "progressive" arsenic Francis. 

Fontaine called the Pope a "very beardown state wrong the church" and said helium was an advocator for reconciliation, champion expressed by overcoming absorption from wrong the religion to present his apology. 

"He described … the trauma of the residential schoolhouse acquisition by saying that was genocide — not taste genocide, [but] genocide," Fontaine told CBC astatine the Vatican connected Saturday.

"We beryllium him overmuch much than we could ever anticipation and deliberation about."

Before his death, Francis appointed a elder Vatican authoritative to prosecute with Indigenous radical for the repatriation of ineffable objects and artifacts that were stolen. 

"With this wide way that's been laid retired by Francis and arsenic a effect of reconciliation, existent healing volition occur," helium said. "I'm hopeful." 

While determination is overmuch much enactment to do in Canada, the Vatican needs to support playing a relation to continue Francis's enactment toward reconciliation, said Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, the current national main of the Assembly of First Nations and a subordinate of Pinaymootang First Nation successful Manitoba.

"An apology, that was the archetypal chapter, and we person to constitute much chapters together," she said aft attending Francis's ceremonial successful Rome connected Saturday.

"That means facing the hard information of what had happened successful the past, but besides looking guardant and saying, 'How bash we marque the satellite a amended place?'"

Returning stolen ceremonial artifacts inactive successful the possession of the religion is 1 step, Woodhouse Nepinak said. So is working with Indigenous communities toward revitalizing languages stripped distant successful residential schools.

While galore Indigenous radical inactive person a difficult narration with the Catholic Church, Francis pushed the instauration to go much inclusive and instrumentality work for the mistakes it made successful the past, said Woodhouse Nepinak.

"There's a batch of enactment that helium near undone," she said. "Those conversations are not ever easy, but they're truthful necessary."