Photo: The Canadian Press

Pope Francis wears a traditional headdress he was given after his apology to Indigenous people during a ceremony in Maskwacis, Alta., as part of his papal visit across Canada on Monday, July 25, 2022.

The chief of Tk’emlups te Secwepemc is remembering Pope Francis as a humble and courageous leader whose historic apology acknowledged the abuse baked into the residential school system.

“Pope Francis was the first pope to formally recognize and apologize for the atrocities committed through the Indian residential school system in Canada,” Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir said Monday in a statement.

“I hold my hands up to him for his humility, courage and commitment to reconciliation.”

Francis died Monday at the Vatican. He was 88.

Casimir was on a delegation that met with the Pope at the Vatican in 2022, the year after a series of what are believed to be unmarked graves were located using ground-penetrating radar on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

“A key request we made was for Pope Francis to travel to Canada and offer a meaningful apology to survivors and their families,” Casimir said.

Apologized three years ago

Francis apologized on Canadian soil on July 25, 2022. He said he was sorry and ashamed for abuses committed by some members of the Catholic Church as well as for the cultural destruction and forced assimilation that culminated in the schools.

"I'm sorry," Francis said in Spanish on a stage in Maskwacis, Alta. "I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous Peoples."

Survivors had asked for years for the Church to apologize. Demand grew after thousands of possible unmarked graves were discovered at the sites of numerous former residential schools.

An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools over a century. The Catholic Church ran about 60 per cent of the institutions.

The final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which investigated residential schools in Canada, described horrific details of physical, emotional and sexual abuse inflicted on Indigenous children. Among its Calls to Action, the commission called on the Pope to apologize in Canada.

The Pope's apology came at the start of his six-day "penitential pilgrimage" across the country.

Healing is 'ongoing'

Casimir said the “symbolic” steps taken by Francis during his visit were impactful for many.

“Healing is an ongoing process,” she said.

“We made clear that apology must be followed by concrete actions — full disclosure of residential school records, funding for cultural revitalization and direct collaboration between dioceses and First Nations to support community healing.”

A covenant signed last year by the Tk’emlups band, the diocese of Kamloops and the archdiocese of Vancouver commits the parties will work together to memorialize the children who never returned and to work together to bring answers to families.

“The covenant also acknowledges the church’s role in the residential school system and outlines a shared path forward based on reconciliation, transparency and long-term healing.”

‘Work together'

Casimir said she shared a message from Pope Francis on Sunday while marking the one-year anniversary of the covenant being signed.

“In his words, the Pope sent ‘cordial greetings’ and prayers for all present,” she said.

“He reflected on his 2022 visit and reminded us of the need to ‘walk together, pray together and work together.’ Those words carry the power of unity and responsibility.”

Casimir said she hopes the next pontiff continues Francis’ work in reconciliation.

“Needed is creating a clear mandate for all dioceses to work with First Nations, supporting reparations not only through words but through meaningful investment in language and cultural revitalization,” she said.