Red River Métis members set to meet with Pope in Rome
Members of the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) are getting set to meet with the Pope—the first meeting with Indigenous Canadians since he issued an apology for the harms of the residential and day school systems.
The meeting is set for April 21 and the Red River Métis government will be sending Elders, Knowledge Keepers, residential school survivors and youth along with a small group of bishops.
"Now that His Holiness has issued an apology to all Indigenous people, we can focus our meeting on the relationship between the Red River Métis and the Catholic Church, past, present and future," said MMF President David Chartrand in a news release.
The meeting is set to take place in Rome, Italy, and those in attendance will share their experiences with residential schools and voice the message of a new relationship.
"Our Nation has always been deeply connected to the church. You can see that in our petition to the church in 1817, the establishment of our settlement into parishes, and the faith and actions of our great leader, Louis Riel."
Richard Gagnon, the Archbishop of Winnipeg, said he appreciates the Pope's openness to have a meeting with the Red River Métis.
"On behalf of the Bishops of Manitoba, we reaffirm our sincere hope that this forthcoming encounter will lead to a shared future of mutual understanding, peace, and harmony between the Red River Métis and the Catholic Church in Canada," said Gagnon in a release.
Chartrand said he will call on the Pope to again apologize for residential schools on Canadian soil.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.