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Call to Action # 58 : Church Apologies and Reconciliation (58-61)

Inuit requests for action from Pope Francis

March 28, 2022

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In a one hour meeting at the Vatican, National Inuit Leader Natan Obed called for specific actions by Pope Francis to advance reconciliation with Inuit In Canada.

Inuit humbly request that Pope Francis undertake the following actions:

  • As per Call to Action 58 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, deliver an apology in Canada to Inuit survivors of residential schools administered by the Catholic Church, including the Turquetil Hall residential school in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, and Grollier Hall in Inuvik, Northwest Territories.
  • Direct the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to fulfill both the spirit and letter of the Church’s legal obligations under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.
    • This includes immediate payment of $25 million in financial restitution to survivors of residential school.
    • It also means to providing complete and immediate access to relevant documents in the Church’s possession that are necessary to identify Inuit children who may have died while at residential schools administered by the Church, and who need to be posthumously reunited with their families and communities.
  • The Church must commit to working with police, governments and Inuit to bring about justice for survivors of abuse and their families. Johannes Rivoire, an Oblate who sexually abused Inuit children in several Inuit communities, should be brought to justice.
    • In particular, I would ask you in your capacity as the head of the Catholic Church, to speak with Johannes Rivoire and direct him to return to Canada to stand trial for the harms he has done.
    • I understand that this action may not be successful, for many reasons. In that event, I would ask you to use your influence with the relevant authorities in France to have Rivoire extradited to Canada or tried in France.

I call on you as both the head of the Catholic Church and the head of state of one of strongest seats of power in the world, to do what is right, what is just, what is needed, and what is entirely within your power as Pontiff.