FSIN Chief Says Pope’s Remarks Amount To Apology
Tuesday, May 05, 2009 at 15:02
The chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations says it is a personal choice if people want to accept the pope’s expression of sorrow for the Roman Catholic Church’s involvement in residential schools in Canada.
Lawrence Joseph was part of a 40-member First Nations delegation that visited the Vatican last week for a public appearance by Pope Benedict.
In a private audience, the Pope expressed sorrow for the pain suffered by First Nations people because of residential schools.
Joseph says he won’t debate whether or not the pope actually apologized, but he believes he did.
He also says he can’t tell people to accept the apology, but encourages them to pray about accepting it, and assist others as well.