First Blog post on my new site I thought I'd start with something that might be a little lengthy but its something that a number of people have asked about since I completed my Doctorate. In the opening of my dissertation I included a reflection on the Pope visiting Canada. It provides some insight on my views regarding reconciliation and the roles we all play. I'm going to break it up slightly into sections as a series of blogs but here is the first taste to get started. I hope it spurs some conversation.
Papal Apology
The following was produced long after I had established my research topic, problem, and process. The data collection process was already complete, and I had started the data processing and writing stages of my thesis. I had already made a commitment that my research would represent reconciliation in as many ways as possible. I have maintained a flexible approach throughout the process of preparing my dissertation which is why I could reflect on the Papal visit to Canada and incorporate it into my writing. What follows illustrates the premise of my research and some of the basis of my beliefs, which have guided me in this process.
Reflection I
In France, a play entitled, Controversy at Valladolid...in it a group of Roman Catholic clerics and intellectuals, fifty years after ‘the fact of Columbus,’ are arguing in the context of a major international forum, whether the ‘Indians of the Americas’ are or are not human (for you see in those days, the Pope considered that we had no souls, that we were equivalent, in effect, to wild, savage animals... (Highway, 2004, p. 180)
In 2008 Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued an apology to residential school survivors on behalf of the Canadian government. Like the 2008 event, which was considered by many to be a stepping-stone on the emotional journey of reconciliation, the trip to Canada made by Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church is, what can only be considered a historic moment. Because my research focuses on reconciliation as the foundation upon which it is built, I would be remiss if I did not include a reflection on my emotional responses to the apology issued by Pope Francis on July 25, 2022. It is a moment, that for some, will be a great event in the process of reconciliation.
Like many other Indigenous individuals across Canada, I watched the Pope’s apology on my computer. Before I delve into my personal reflection, I would like to state that I found myself to be annoyed by my research in that moment as I watched the process the Indigenous Chiefs, residential school survivors, and church representatives participated in. As a member of a family, and reserve which counts many residential school survivors/victims among their members I wasbothered by the fact that I could not simply listen and watch the apology and all that it encompassed. I felt I had to analyze the actions and the words, and then relate all of it to my research, and ultimately, write about it, as I am here, so that it could become a part of my dissertation. In any other time and place during my life I would have been an observer and not an analyzer.
This is just another instance in which I have recognized that research is personal, and it affects every aspect of your being. Completing this doctoral degree and being amid the writing process forced me to observe this event through an academic lens. I am left with questions of reflection that I will be considering, but possibly never have answers for, such as:
1. Does an academic perspective add more to the meaning and effect of Pope Francis coming to Canada to apologize for the Catholic church?
2. Did this academic perspective detract from the personal aspects of what the apology should mean to me, my family, and my reserve?
3. Will my thoughts on what was witnessed today in Canada change after I have completed my research and degree?
These are reflective questions which will follow me long after I have completed writing my dissertation.
What follows are areas that I reflected on both during and after watching Pope Francis issued his formal apology to Indigenous Residential School survivors:Was it Enough?
The benefits of having social media, and a quick glance at general comments show there is a great divide on whether this apology was enough. For some it was a step in the healing process. For others there will never be any words or actions that are enough to allow for healing and reconciliation to occur. There is no right or wrong way to feel about the Papal Apology.
Both reactions have validity as they speak to where the individual experiencing these feelings is in their personal reconciliation process. The apology that was issued should be controversial, accepted, or rejected personally by any residential school survivor in their own way. This is one event that will allow individuals to process in their own journey of healing and reconciliation.
One thing that Pope Francis spoke about in his apology was how being in Canada and issuing his apology would reawaken past traumas. It would cause memories and past hurts to become present again. He also stated that this was a necessary part of the process. To not continue to be indifferent to the traumas caused by residential schools he must be allowed to speak about it. This is part of the reconciliation process which I can relate to my research. I must be able to write about it to acknowledge it and contribute to reconciliation.Space and Place.
The place in which this event occurred was representative of the process of reconciliation in many ways. The thing that struck me the most was watching the Pope being walked by others into the Maskwacis round gathering place, being surrounded by current and past Chiefs, residential school survivors, and Indigenous community members. It must have been a foreign place for the Pope to find himself in, and a foreign place for those who are Indigenous to experience having him there. The visual representation of traditions and culture on display was a massive contrast with the Pope dressed all in white surrounded by the colourful regalia of the dancers and the dark-skinned weathered faces of the Indigenous Elders.
Will it be enough for other Indigenous communities to have one apology in one place? Will others demand more? Pope Francis said during his talk that he had many invitations to go to many communities. It would be physically impossible for him to do this. Is it enough that he made the trip to Canada, and he issued his apology on Canadian soil? From what I have
observed, reflected on, and analyzed this may be another divisive point for discussion among Indigenous People in the future when this event is discussed.Words Paired with Actions
The words that Pope Francis used were all the right words, well-placed. Yes, he read from a prepared speech. Yes, he did his apology in another language, and it was translated into English. Are these things which can be overlooked? Again, I say yes. He used phrases in his speech to describe the things that residential schools did to Indigenous People. He used words such as “spiritually denigrated” [emphasis added] (The Canadian Press, Jul 25, 2022). He did not have to use such direct phraseology, but he did. He called the schools a “disastrous error” [emphasis added] and related them to “deplorable evil” [emphasis added] (The Canadian Press, Jul 25, 2022). He expressed humility, paired with shame. Pope Francis acknowledged the horrors of residential school, the trauma they caused, and the fact that his visit would reignite emotions among survivors. He did so while asking forgiveness and expressing deep sorrow (The Canadian Press, Jul 25, 2022). Many will condemn his words as being hollow and without meaning. One look at social media comments to see how quickly his words were dismissed by some, but not all. Whether or not one personally agrees with how Pope Francis expressed his apology, it should not be so casually written off if one, or many, are not in agreement. For many, these words were needed for the process of reconciliation to move forward in a positive way. Pope Francis expressed his words of apology as a place to start, creating a new beginning. He also acknowledged that this apology is necessary for future generations, and that it will provide hope for generations to come. Pope Francis aptly described this apology as a “universal reconciliation” [emphasis added] (The Canadian Press, Jul 25, 2022).
As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words. In this case I am in full agreement. It must be acknowledged that Pope Francis actions could have followed the same as other Popes before him. He could have stayed home. He could have refused to come to Canada when he was invited by the Indigenous People. His health is not the best, and he is elderly. Without him acting, and making the trip to Canada, these events would not have occurred.
There were many acts that showed Pope Francis how vibrant and alive Indigenous cultures and traditions are in Canada; from the dancers and the drummers to the words of the songs and the traditions in how the event was governed by Indigenous cultures. There were other acts that could be seen throughout the broadcast which were representative of Indigenous cultures such as the woman sitting and beading while she listened to the Pope speak. I believe that every person who attended the event did so to contribute to the act of reconciliation, in whatever way they were able to.
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