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Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc has officially invited Pope Francis to come and meet survivors of the Kamloops Indian Residential School during his upcoming visit to Canada.

In a statement, Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir says without any real action, the trip will be meaningless.

“It would be deeply meaningful to welcome the Holy See, Pope Francis, to Tk’emlups te Secwepemc, as our heart wrenching news was the first of the wave of confirmations of unmarked graves with thousands more lives lost coming to light,” she said. “It’d be a historic moment for Kamloops Residential Indian School Survivors and for our community [which] continues to navigate the impacts following the horrific confirmation of the missing children.”

The Vatican said Wednesday that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has invited the Pope to make the trip to Canada “also in the context of the long-standing pastoral process of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.”

A date for that visit has yet to be released, as have details on who the Pope will be visiting and who he will be speaking to.

“For the ‘truth’ component of Truth and Reconciliation, there has to be an acknowledgment, of the true role of the Catholic Church in the deaths of children placed in their care,” the statement read. “The Roman Catholic Church has repeatedly refused to accept responsibility or formally apologize for its direct role in the numerous and horrific abuses committed against Indigenous children through the Residential School system.”

“The missing children, whom Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc refer to as Le Estcwéý, exemplify Indian Residential Schools as a system that perpetuated mass human rights violations that may suggest criminal behavior, including violations of international humanitarian law, and genocide.”

While the Bishops of Vancouver and Kamloops have already apologized for the role of the church in the residential school system, Tk’emlúps say there has never been an apology from the highest level of the Roman Catholic Church.

In addition to an apology, Tk’emlúps is also calling for the release of all relevant records to help Indigenous communities identify people who are buried on the grounds of former residential schools in Canada while helping to understand the true scope of what happened there.

“For the Pope to come to Canada without real action, with simply the objective of reconciliation, glosses over and ignores this hard truth,” Casimir added. “Though some may wish for reconciliation, Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc is still saddled with the truth of identifying hundreds of child victims from the Kamloops Indian Residential School.”

Casimir will be making a trip to the Vatican in December after the Pope agreed to meet with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit leaders. B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee will also be part of that trip which is scheduled from Dec. 17 to 20.

The last time there was a papal visit in Canada was in 2002 when Pope John Paul II was in Toronto.

Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc is calling upon the Roman Catholic Church to:

• To provide an apology from the highest level of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, as one of the many stages of the healing journey. This is the implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #58, which demands the Holy See “issue an apology to Survivors, their families, and communities for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.”
• Accept responsibility for its direct role in the numerous and horrific abuses committed against Indigenous children through the Residential School system, having operated over 70% of all Indian Residential Schools in Canada.
• Demonstrate acts of contrition and living up to the promises made by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops with regards to the disclosure of documents and information to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and of the raising of funds for Indian Residential School survivors.

Support services for residential school survivors in British Columbia:

* The KUU-US Crisis Line Society provides a 24-hour, provincewide Indigenous crisis line for Indigenous peoples in B.C. Adults, call 250 723-4050. Children and youth, call 250 723-2040. Toll-free: 1 800 588-8717

* First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line for Indigenous people across Canada toll-free 1 855 242-3310 or chat online: https://www.hopeforwellness.ca/

* The Métis Crisis Line for Métis people in B.C., available 24 hours a day at 1 833 MétisBC: 1 833 638-4722

* Tsow Tun Le Lum for Indigenous peoples in B.C., phone: 1 888 403-3123

* Indian Residential School Survivors Society, phone: 1 800 721-0066 or 604 985-4464

* 24-Hour National Crisis Line for residential school survivors and others affected: 1 866 925-4419