Manitoba residential school survivors to make trip to hear apology from Pope Francis

A group of residential school survivors and Indigenous leaders from Manitoba will be making the trip to Edmonton in less than two weeks to hear the Pope offer an apology on Canadian soil.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee told CTV News, he will be attending the Pope's visit in Edmonton with 38 survivors and other Indigenous leaders.

Pope Francis will be joining survivors at the Ermineskin Indian Residential School in the community of Maskwacis after touching down in Edmonton on July 24. During his stop in Canada, he will also be visiting Quebec City on July 27, and Iqaluit on July 29.

The Pope is expected to make an apology for the Roman Catholic Church's role in residential schools.

Settee said this will be a historic moment – one that survivors have been waiting on for decades.

"It will have closure for a lot of survivors," he said. "Even as Indigenous leaders, we have been demanding an apology from the Catholic Church – it has been a long time coming."

He said an apology from the Pope – while it won't fix everything – is an important step in the right direction and will have a big impact on survivors.

"The healing journey I think will begin for a lot of these people because a lot of them are still wounded, a lot of them are still dealing with the trauma and intergenerational trauma as well," he said. "It will be very emotional for a lot of people and it will have a significant impact on the people that will be there."

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak says there are still spots available for survivors who want to make the trip to Edmonton via bus. Applications will be accepted online until Sunday at 3 p.m.