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https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/canadian-bishops-indigenous-delegation-meet-pope-end-2021 A delegation of Indigenous people from Canada will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican before the end of the year, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said.
The delegation will include representatives of First Nations, Métis and Inuit national organizations, the bishops said in a statement released June 10.
The statement follows the May 30 announcement by the Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation of the discovery of 215 bodies buried on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia.
"The delegation to the Holy See represents an important step on the journey of reconciliation and shared healing for Indigenous Peoples and the Church in Canada," the bishops said.
"With the strong encouragement of Pope Francis, the Bishops of Canada have pledged true and deep commitment to renewing and strengthening relationships with Indigenous Peoples across the land," the statement said, citing regional and diocesan-wide listening circles that have been established in recent years.
Planning for such a meeting had been underway for more than two years in an effort to "foster meaningful encounters of dialogue and healing," the statement said," but was stalled by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the statement explained.
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