Why Did Pope Francis Dress Like Native American?

Earlier this year, Francis expressed “shame and sorrow” for the Catholic Church’s role in abuses and for “the lack of respect” shown to Indigenous cultures and their values.

“It’s a step in the right direction,” says Congress of Aboriginal Peoples National Chief Elmer St. Pierre of the pope’s apology on Monday. But “it could have been better,” he says.

“When you sing the song [it should be] coming from your heart,” says St. Pierre, who was present in Maskwacis when Francis spoke. Francis’ statement was “read off a script,” he says.

Canada has paid billions of dollars to Indigenous communities as part of a settlement with some 90,000 survivors of the residential schools. Canada’s Catholic Church says its dioceses and religious orders have already paid $50 million to the tribes and expects another $30 million in coming years.

Carol McBride, president of the Native Women’s Association of Canada, said she hoped the pope’s apology would start a dialogue between the church and First Nations that would lead to the release of school records and the return of tribal artifacts that she says reside at the Vatican. The Holy See insists the headdresses, carved walrus tusks and other items were gifts to Pius XI, who was pope from 1922 until his death in 1939.

“I just can’t understand why they don’t want to release those files,” McBride said. “And the same thing goes with the artifacts. Those are our First Nations and Indigenous people’s artifacts. Why are they sitting there at the Vatican? Why are they not here?”

he says she welcomes the pope’s apology, but acknowledges “a lot of mixed emotions at this point, where some people are happy with the visit and the intent and [others don’t] want to hear about it at all.”

The pope on Monday specifically asked forgiveness for “projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation promoted by the governments of the time.”

More than 350 similar boarding schools — about a third managed by various Christian denominations — operated in the U.S. up until the last of them were closed in the 1970s. Beginning a century before, Indigenous children were sent to these off-reservation schools, where they were forbidden to speak their native language and forced instead to use English.

Last year, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the country’s first Native American Cabinet secretary, commissioned a review of the school system for Native children in the U.S. The investigation has already identified marked or unmarked burial sites at approximately 53 schools, according to the Interior Department.