Nearing the conclusion of his week-long visit to Canada, Pope Francis met with a group of indigenous leaders on July 29, and thanked them for their welcome.

“I have come in a spirit of penance,” the Pope told the group, “to express my heartfelt pain at the wrong inflicted on you by not a few Catholics who supported oppressive and unjust policies in your regard.”

Remarking on the enormous size of Canada, the Pope said: “The vastness of this lands makes us think of the lengthy path of healing and reconciliation that we are facing together.”