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ns id eh al to n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A pr il 12 ,2 01 8 | o > - EDITORIAL - ABOUT US OPINION P o p e F r a n c i s s h o u l d a p o l o g i z e t o I n d i g e n o u s C a n a d i a n s It's disappointing and more than a little puzzling to learn Pope Francis will not apologize for the Roman Cath­ olic Church's role in Canada's residential school tragedy It's disappointing because so many of the First Nations, Metis and Inuit survivors of those misguided, destructive institutions sincerely want to hear an official statement of regret from the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics. It's also disappointing because one of the 94 recom­ mendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commis­ sion, after it spent five years examining the residential school disaster, specifically called for a papal apology delivered on Canadian soil. Indeed, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau personally asked the Pope to consider this gesture when they met in the Vatican last year. But two weeks ago, the unwel­ come answer was no. The residential schools are a black mark on the histo­ ry of the Canadian government but also some of Cana­ da's most prominent churches. For more than a century, the federal government's church-operated residential schools worked tirelessly to assimilate Indigenous children by forcing them to at­ tend schools where they were forbidden to speak their languages or practise their cultures. More than 150,000 Indigenous youth attended the schools, beginning in the 1880s, and many suffered phys­ ical, sexual and psychological abuse at the hands of priests, nuns or other teachers. Irreparable harm was done - to individuals, families and Indigenous communities across the land. The Canadian government as well as the United, Anglican and Presbyterian churches all apologized long ago for their part in this outrage. While Roman Catholic organizations have, over the years, issued apologies for their role in the residential schools, it isn't the authoritative and definitive statement from the Pope that Indigenous Canadians seek. The argu­ ment from bishops has always been that 16 out of 70 Catho­ lic dioceses, along with three dozen religious communi­ ties, were associated with the residential schools. Because each diocese and religious community is legally responsible for its actions, the bishops insist the Catholic Church as a whole is not responsible and should not apologize. Such stubbornness is also puzzling. In 2010, a papal apology was issued to those in Ireland who had been sexually abused by priests. Two years ago, Pope Francis visited Bolivia where he issued an apology for the "grave sins" of the Church against Indigenous Peoples in the colonization of the Americas. We hope these precedents will allow this popular Pope, who is famed for his thoughtful compassion, to reconsider his decision, come to Canada and say what needs to be said. "Forgive us our debts," is part of Christianity's greatest prayer. The Catholic Church has a debt owing to Canada's Indigenous Peoples and should seek their forgiveness. K A T H LE E N W YN N E w ill leave a huge D EB T to your children! w o h 'l S O M E B O D Y I h i n l t o f I h e c h i l d r e n ? The Oakville Beaver, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. oe O °o m e tro la n d m e d ia • Connected to your community" The Oakville Beaver is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca n n c A o c n a N ew sM edia Council IniideHalton.com ^ editor@oakvillebeaver.com E facebook.com/OakvilleBeav @OakvilleBeaver ■ LETTERS & C O M M EN TA R Y- Couple 'very, very grateful' for Good Samaritans' help It is a beautiful Friday afternoon and Bill has not been out on his scooter for quite a while so the two of us decide to go for a walk and ride. Out came the scooter, all charged up - at least that is what the indicator light registered. Up to Lakeshore Road we went, walking from Reyn­ olds to Navy streets and then across to the south side of Lakeshore for the walk back. After all it is Bill's first outing, so we weren't feeling too ambitious. Faced with a red light at the intersection of Trafal­ gar and Lakeshore roads, we dutifully came to a halt. Yes, indeed, it was a halt. The scooter would not move - all the lights went out and there we were, stranded. We were holding up people who wanted to cross the intersection and we are trying to direct them around us while at the same time use what lit­ tle brain power we had at this age to come up with a solution. I reached for my iPhone, but of course, it is back at the house. After all, we were only going to be out for a few minutes. Behind us was a young couple pulling a little red wagon with the most beau­ tiful children you can imagine. The mother of the chil­ dren used her phone to call the company where we bought the scooter. After several sugges­ tions from the company's sales lady to try this, that and something else to get the scooter working to no avail, we are told to pull the lever into the neutral posi­ tion and push the "cotton­ picking machine." The father of the chil­ dren offered to push the scooter to our house and, in an attempt to prove to us that it can be done, he quickly moved the scooter forward. Now Bill is in a panic and I can't make him un­ derstand that he is to go to the bank and wait to be picked up in the car or he would have to attempt to walk home. Bill sits back on his machine. The wonderful young man begins the Herculean effort of not only pushing the scooter but one carry­ ing a 200-pound man. This incredible kind, wonderful, unbelievable young couple have been on our minds constantly. Is the father's back strained or hurt? Does it feel like it is broken or every muscle is aching? Our minds are working overtime with worry as we tell the story to our friends and family and express how very, very grateful we are for these Good Samar­ itans who appeared and rescued us. I do not know their names so I am calling them Mrs. Kind and Mr. Kind. Margie Andrews, Oakville Letters See w ha t ou r readers are saying ab o u t the issues th a t m atte r to them insidehalton.com/letters CONTACT US WHO WE ARE Oakville Beaver 2-5046 Mainway Burlington, ON L7L 5Z1 Phone: 289-293-0617 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Digital/Flyer/Retail: 289-293-0624 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail kmossman@metroland.com or call 905-631-6095. 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