The Catholic Church in Canada has apologised “unequivocally” to the country's indigenous peoples for a century of abuses at church-run residential schools set up by the government to assimilate children into the mainstream.
The move follows recent discoveries, which convulsed Canada, of some 1,200 unmarked graves of indigenous children forced to attend the schools from the late 1800s to the 1990s.
“We, the Catholic Bishops of Canada, express our profound remorse and apologise unequivocally,” a statement read.
Pupils were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers who stripped them of their culture and language.
Indigenous communities continue to deal with the lasting trauma of the government's failed policy.
The apology comes less than a week before the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, declared in honour of missing indigenous children and residential school survivors, scheduled for September 30.
In the statement, the bishops said they “acknowledge the suffering experienced” by pupils and the “grave abuses” inflicted upon them, citing “physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural, and sexual” mistreatment.
Many Catholic religious communities and dioceses participated in this system, which led to the suppression of indigenous languages, cultures and spirituality, failing to respect the rich history, traditions and wisdom of indigenous peoples, they said.
“We also sorrowfully acknowledge the historical and ongoing trauma and the legacy of suffering and challenges faced by indigenous peoples that continue to this day.
“Indigenous groups and leaders have called for a papal apology for the Church's role in the residential schools, with backing from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who in June said he implored Pope Francis to “make an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil".
The bishops said a delegation of Canadian indigenous peoples is scheduled to travel to the Vatican in December to meet the pope.
In the meantime, they also pledged to work with the Vatican and indigenous leaders to try to schedule a papal visit to Canada “as part of this healing journey".
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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