“I have spoken personally directly with His Holiness, Pope Francis, to impress upon him how important it is not just that he makes an apology but that he makes an apology to indigenous Canadians on Canadian soil,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said following the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at two former residential schools. “I know that the Catholic Church leadership is looking and very actively engaged in what next steps can be taken.”

“This was an incredibly harmful government policy that was Canada’s reality for many, many decades and Canadians today are horrified and ashamed of how our country behaved,” Trudeau added. “It was a policy that ripped kids from their homes, from their communities, from their culture and their language and forced assimilation upon them.”