A study by the Angus Reed Institutefound that 59% of Indigenous respondents said thatthe Pope's recent apology for the role of the Catholic Church in boarding schoolsis for reconciliation.
Marieval boarding school survivor Marie-Anne Day Walker-Pelletier agrees.
"Reconciliation always begins with oneself and moves on to families, communities (and) nations," she said. “Indeed, each of us accepts that apology in different ways. It is a driving force for a better future for us.”
Day Walker Pelletier April 1, 2022 I heard an apology from the Pope for the first time today when I went to Rome across Turtle Island with an indigenous delegation. But Day Walker Peltier, who heard the apology in person on Canadian soil in Muskwasis, Alberta on July 25, said it was a moving moment. Read: Saskatchewan Survivors React to Pope Francis' Apology for Boarding School
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"When I heard his (apology) voice, I looked around at all the survivors... in tears, (they) bowed their heads and understood what he had just said." ' said Day Walker Pelletier.
"I felt that the survivor heard and accepted the apology. I was glad he did it and I was happy for the survivors." 32}
But many others do not share the same point of view as Day Walker Peltier: Bevann Fox, a boarding school survivor who attended Lebret Industrial School, is a papal visit in Edmonton.
Fox, who endured unimaginable abuse at boarding school as a child, said an apology wasn't enough.
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"For me, forgiveness is a whole process, not something that happens overnight," said Fox. "His apology was somewhat sincere... (a) one can say 'I'm sorry', but I wish there was more mention of children who died in boarding schools and never got home.
According to the survey, 32% felt that the apology did nothing to move the settlement forward. Fox agrees on that proportion. She said she had more to do besides apologizing.
READ MORE: Boarding school survivors in Saskatchewan respond to Pope Francis' apology
. What does that settlement look like? said Fox. "What's the next step? Will it take years? Am I going to see this in my lifetime or is it all?"
According to the survey results that follow, 64% of those who paid attention to the visit said the Pope was "an evil committed by some members of the Church during this period," 24% of Canadians disagreed that the apology was genuine.
When it comes to who is most responsible for the boarding school system, according to an Angus Reid survey And 52% of Canadians equally blamed and held the federal government, the Christian Church and society at the time responsible. let it last.
The survey also shows that far more women than men believe the history of boarding schools needs further research. The full study results can be found on theAngus Reed Institutewebsite.
If you or someone you know is a boarding school survivor and needs help, call Boarding School Survivor and Family Crisis at 1-800-721-0066. You can call the line.
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