MNC President Travels to Rome for His Holiness Pope Francis's Funeral, Calls on Vatican to Return Métis Cultural Artifacts
OTTAWA, ON, April 25, 2025 /CNW/ - Métis National Council (MNC) President Victoria Pruden is travelling to Rome this week to attend His Holiness Pope Francis's funeral, joining Governor General Mary Simon, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, and the Honourable Raymonde Gagné, Speaker of the Senate of Canada.
Pope Francis leaves behind a legacy of compassion and humility, marked by his historic steps toward reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples in Canada. In March 2022, a delegation comprised of Métis, First Nations, and Inuit Survivors, Elders, youth, leadership, and other community members travelled to the Vatican. There, they met with the Pope to discuss the legacy of the residential school system and its enduring impact on Survivors, families, and their communities. Pope Francis followed this with a visit to Canada in July 2022, where he delivered a formal apology in Maskwacîs, Alberta, acknowledging the Catholic Church's role in the residential school system. This moment was a significant step toward truth, healing, and reconciliation.
The MNC hopes that the humility and accountability shown by Pope Francis will be carried forward by his successor and that the journey toward truth, justice, and healing continues. We call on the Catholic Church in Canada to continue meaningful engagement with Indigenous Peoples and to take further action towards reconciliation. This includes calling on the Vatican's Anima Mundi Museum to work with Métis knowledge-keepers, historians, and other experts to identify and return Métis cultural artifacts. These items are part of our stories and identities, and their return aligns with the Vatican's rejection of the Doctrine of Discovery and support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
President Pruden emphasized that for many Métis, the legacy of residential schools is not an abstract idea, but a lived experience marked by lasting trauma and pain. "Métis have a long history with the Catholic Church in Canada. Our Métis residential school Survivors are aging, and far too many have already passed without seeing the justice and healing they deserve. As President of the Métis National Council, I carry a responsibility to ensure we make actionable progress on reconciliation so that Survivors can see and feel its impact in their lifetime. The time to act is now. The Catholic Church must honour its obligations to the Métis Nation and take meaningful steps toward healing. My hope is that we can continue this critical work in partnership, alongside the next Pope, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and fellow Indigenous leaders across the country, to ensure all Survivors are seen, heard, and supported".
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
