According to the Pope, indigenous children in Canadian Church schools were the victims of genocidal acts.

July 30 - ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE On Saturday, Pope Francis referred to what took place at the residential schools that the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian Churches used to forcibly assimilate indigenous children in Canada as genocide.
After a week-long visit to Canada, where he issued a historic apology for the Church's part in the policy, the pope made the remark on a flight back to Rome.
On the flight, a native Canadian reporter questioned him about why he avoided using the word "genocide" and whether he would agree that Church members had committed genocide.
"It is true that I did not use the word because I had not considered using it. But I did mention genocide. I expressed regret and begged pardon for this act of extermination "Francis stated.
The pope said, "I opposed this, taking children away and trying to change their culture, their thoughts, change their traditions, a race, an entire society.
More than 150,000 indigenous children were taken away from their families and sent to residential schools before 1881 and 1996. In a system that Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission referred to as "cultural genocide," several children were malnourished, physically assaulted, and sexually molested.

The discovery of the remains of 215 children at a former residential school in British Columbia last year brought the issue to the fore again amid calls for a formal apology from the Pope. Since then, the suspected remains of hundreds more children have been detected at other former residential schools around the country.

Particularly among Canadian Catholics, who make up 32% of the country's population, Francis, 85, enjoys personal popularity. His free events sold out in a matter of minutes, and Indigenous organizations said that they had received a flood of inquiries from those who had attended residential schools and were interested in attending.

According to David Aglukark, project manager with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., an Inuit group that is organizing travel, approximately 200 inhabitants of the northern territory of Nunavut applied for travel assistance to meet the Pope during his stop in the capital, Iqaluit.

 Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors say they want more from Pope Francis when he visits Canada than just an apology. They want action.

Francis said on Sunday that he was making a "pilgrimage of penance" to help heal the wrongs done to indigenous people by Roman Catholic priests and nuns who operated abusive residential schools linked to the deaths of thousands of children. Francis will be the first pope in nearly 20 years to visit Canada. 

In what Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission dubbed "cultural genocide" in 2015, more than 150,000 children were removed from their homes, and many of them suffered abuse, rape, and hunger.

the finding of 215 people's remains WTF IS AN Admission of guilt?

While the pontiff's visit will be "part of the healing journey" for some survivors, words alone won't be sufficient, according to Bobby Cameron, Chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, the pontiff issued a historic apology in April following a week of meetings with representatives from indigenous nations in Rome.

"Some people ask, "What exactly is an apology? No need to apologize, please. We must act," "said Cameron.

Leaders of indigenous communities and survivors demand monetary compensation, the return of artifacts, assistance in prosecuting alleged abusers, and the disclosure of documents pertaining to the schools, which were in operation from 1831 until 1996.

Additionally, some indigenous leaders urge the Catholic Church to reject a colonial doctrine from the 15th century that supported the eviction of indigenous people.bulls or decrees

Among the delegates in Rome this spring was indigenous lawyer Eleanore Sunchild. "Rescinding the papal bulls... opening up the archives for survivors to identify their family and to piece together what happened in the schools," she said.

To genuinely heal the survivors is a compensation package we have never had, and there is so much healing to be done in our communities as a result of what the church left behind.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops pledged to raise $30 million this spring for activities related to healing, revitalizing culture and languages, and other things. According to Neil MacCarthy, a representative for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund is a recognized charitable organization that accepts donations from dioceses. So far, it has raised
C$4.6 million.