The Dene National Chief called Pope Francis a “pivotal figure in the journey towards reconciliation” as the Vatican announced the Pope’s funeral will take place on Saturday.
Francis passed away after a stroke on Monday at the age of 88.
Dene National Chief George Mackenzie said the Pope had shown a “commitment to addressing the historical injustices faced by Indigenous communities, particularly the legacy of the residential school system.”
In 2022, Francis delivered a long-awaited apology on Canadian soil to Indigenous peoples at the site of the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School outside Edmonton.
“I am deeply sorry – sorry for the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the Indigenous peoples,” the Pope said at the time.
Mackenzie said the Pope’s “efforts to engage in meaningful dialogue with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities were important markers for the path towards healing and reconciliation.”
The Dene Nation added in a statement that Francis’s “desire to meet personally with residential school survivors and their families demonstrated a genuine commitment to understanding the profound impacts of the past.”
“We respect Pope Francis’s acknowledgment of the Church’s role in the residential school system and his commitment to making amends,” Mackenzie was quoted as saying in a Tuesday press release.
“He was the first to challenge the Church and bring in an era of change that included recognizing past wrongs to make space for change and opportunities for the Church to make amends.
“Above all, His Holiness loved the people and his commitment to the common person is the legacy that we will carry in his honour.”
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend Francis’s funeral in St Peter’s Square.
There is no clear successor. Cardinals must now meet in secret to elect the next pope.
Speculation has included candidates from Italy, Hungary and Sweden as well as Congo, Ghana and the Philippines.
