Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir is disappointed that Pope Francis will not be coming to British Columbia during his Papal visit to Canada in July.

The Pope is set to travel to Edmonton, Iqaluit, and Quebec City, where he is expected to speak with and listen to the stories of Indigenous people on Canadian soil.

“Knowing I gave him an invitation and that British Columbia isn’t taken into consideration, it is kind of disappointing in the fact in that it would be extremely meaningful,” Casimir who went to Rome in March as part of a delegation of Indigenous Canadians, told NL News.

However, Casimir says she hopes Pope Francis hears directly the stories from residential school survivors that have been impacted.

She says it would further expand on his apology made at the Vatican, noting an apology made in Canada would be the first step of many towards healing and reconciliation.

“It is also about the revitalization and the reclamation of our identities, our cultures, our lives and the spirituality,” Casimir added.

“There are so many different aspects and so to me, it is more about the apology. There are a lot of other areas that need to have conversation to be included in that Papal apology.”

Casmir believes further steps need to be taken by all levels of the dioses for accountability and regress.

She hopes the Pope reconsiders his stops planned for Canada.

“With the papal visit here in Canada, I think it will be a travesty if he doesn’t meet with the First Nations, whether its Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc, Williams lake, Cowessess or St. Bernard Mission School to meet a First Nation community that has been directly impacted by unmarked graves.”

Casmir adds that right now is a crucial time in history, she believes everyone needs to be a part of.

“To witness true expression and meaningful steps forward and my hope is he does reconsider his locations of visit and take that into consideration.”