Former premier Stephen Kakfwi says there might still be a way for Indigenous leaders to get Pope Francis to address the Catholic ChurchSA国际影视传媒檚 role in the residential school system.

A public letter was released last Tuesday from the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Lionel Gendron, explaining that Pope Francis SA国际影视传媒渇elt he could not personally respondSA国际影视传媒� to the request for an apology for the churchSA国际影视传媒檚 role in CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 residential school system, after that apology was both recommended by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and requested by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The letter states this decision was made after careful consideration and extensive dialogue with CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 bishops.

SA国际影视传媒淗e has responded by simply saying that he cannot personally respond to call to action 58 (from the TRC, which requests the apology) because his priority right now is that the work of reconciliation be done at the local level,SA国际影视传媒� says Archbishop Richard Gagnon, to whom the Conference has directed media request on this topic, SA国际影视传媒渢hat there's a lot has been done, but much more needs to be done in order to effectively move in the direction of reconciliation.SA国际影视传媒�

One door apparently left open on this subject is that the letter states a future Papal visit to Canada may be considered, with an SA国际影视传媒渆ncounter with the Indigenous peoples as a top priority.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淭he Holy Father really believes (local reconciliation action is) important at this point, but he hasn't ruled out a future visit to Canada,SA国际影视传媒� says Gagnon. SA国际影视传媒淚t's something that he has a great interest in.SA国际影视传媒�

At this junction, of both not issuing an apology but hinting that a visit may be in the cards, former premier Stephen Kakfwi sees signs of inner-church politics.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think all the popes have a struggle with the Vatican, with the structure of the churches,SA国际影视传媒� says Kakfwi. The bishops and the cardinals have enormous influence on the pope. It's a struggle he has to carve out his own approach and put his character on it.

SA国际影视传媒淧art of being a pope SA国际影视传媒� is to keep the machinery of the church at bay so he could do the things that he wants to do and this smacks of it. I mean, who would say that? You know? Who would say, you know, I personally cannot issue an apology.SA国际影视传媒�

Kakfwi says it isnSA国际影视传媒檛 Pope Francis that anyone wants an apology from SA国际影视传媒� itSA国际影视传媒檚 the office of the spiritual head of the Catholic Church.

When asked what the harm would be of issuing an apology, Gagnon did not say directly, but asserted that the top priority of bishops in Canada is to advance reconciliation and help create better futures for Indigenous peoples and that not only CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 bishops but the pope himself have a deep love and admiration for Indigenous peoples.

SA国际影视传媒淧eople are not being abandoned at all, if that's what you're inferring,SA国际影视传媒� says Gagnon, SA国际影视传媒渂ut this must be seen as part of that continuum of reconciliation.SA国际影视传媒�

Gagnon says an apology issued by Pope Francis in Bolivia in 2015 was inclusive of all Indigenous peoples in the Americas.

SA国际影视传媒淚 humbly ask forgiveness,SA国际影视传媒� the pontiff was quoted saying by the New York Times, SA国际影视传媒渘ot only for the offense of the church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.SA国际影视传媒�

The inconsistency between that language and last weekSA国际影视传媒檚 is what makes Kakfwi think a more direct approach to the pope may see success.

SA国际影视传媒淗e's saying he won't apologize personally. And he hasn't ruled out a visit. That's the strangest language you've heard in a long time.SA国际影视传媒�

Kakfwi organized and hosted Pope John Paul IISA国际影视传媒檚 visit to Fort Simpson in 1987.

Kakfwi says achieving the visit SA国际影视传媒� held after the cancellation of a first visit SA国际影视传媒� was SA国际影视传媒渘othing short of a miracle.SA国际影视传媒�

It had involved going above the heads of the Canadian bishops, he says. The Indigenous leadership, including Kakfwi, went to the Vatican and personally invited Pope John Paul II.

He says, similarly, Indigenous leadership might have success in going above the bureaucracy of the nearly 2,000-year-old church and appealing to the Holy Father himself. He himself, having done it twice already, says he canSA国际影视传媒檛 put himself through that again.

He remembers the event as shining a light on Indigenous peoples and their plight at a very dark time in CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 history.

SA国际影视传媒淚 think Pope John Paul was exceptionally a special man and it meant so much more back then because our rights were not being recognized. Our rights were being extinguished. We were still being colonized to a great extent.SA国际影视传媒�

While the efforts to arrange the visit were diminishing and difficult, he said he considers Pope John Paul II an SA国际影视传媒渆xceptionally special manSA国际影视传媒� and the visit did so much for so many people, especially elders who SA国际影视传媒減assed on to the next world with the joy of having seen the head of the Catholic faith that they're so devoted to.SA国际影视传媒�

Bishop Jon Hansen was ordained the head of the Mackenzie-Fort Smith Diocese, which encompasses the NWT, just two weeks ago. He fashioned his coat of arms to bear the motto SA国际影视传媒淰eritas et ReconciliatoSA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒� SA国际影视传媒淭ruth and ReconciliationSA国际影视传媒� in Latin.

Hansen admits he was disappointed by the decision on the apology and couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 speculate on it as he says he doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have access to the inner circle of Canadian bishops.

He says he thinks it would be a mistake to assume the PopeSA国际影视传媒檚 reason for not coming and delivering an apology is due to a change in attitude and that his record illustrates his desire to be on the side of the poor, the marginalized and the colonized. Hansen speculated only that the decision may be due to factors not completely in the PopeSA国际影视传媒檚 control.

SA国际影视传媒淚 want to see it in its most positive light,SA国际影视传媒� says Hansen. And what I'm hearing in the letter is that, this isn't the end of any possibility of Pope Francis coming to Canada. It's just not at this time. And in the meantime, I think what I see as a real encouragement for the bishops of Canada to put their full energy behind reconciliation with our Indigenous peoples.SA国际影视传媒�