Kamloops residents and First Nations people gather to listen to drummers and singers at a memorial in front of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia May 31, 2021. Photo: CNS. The Canadian bishops are aiming to raise $30 million (€20.5 million) over the next five years to support the Indigenous peoples of the country, including survivors of residential schools.
Bishop Raymond Poisson of Saint-Jerome and Mont-Laurier, who was recently elected president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, said that there was a “universal consensus” among his brother bishops that “Catholic entities needed to do more in a tangible way to address the suffering experienced in Canada’s residential schools”.
The bishops will launch fundraising initiatives throughout the country, to be “achieved at the local level, with parishes across Canada being encouraged to participate and amplify the effort”.
The announcement comes days after the Canadian bishops concluded their plenary assembly. At the conclusion of the assembly September 24, the bishops issued an apology for the Church’s role in the country’s residential school system.