A petition calling for accountability over Canada's residential school system has generated a larger response than anticipated.
The petition was addressed to Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, the Vatican's Ambassador to Canada, calling for a greater acknowledgement of the Roman Catholic Church's involvement in the residential school system, along with a papal apology. As of Thursday afternoon, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the petition had collected over 24,300 signatures.
Windsor activist Edy Haddad, who began the petition, told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com that the feedback he had received was anything beyond his wildest dreams.
"I am overwhelmed by the response from the community, from Canadians," said Haddad. "It is very important, but I never would've thought we would be above 24,000 signatures. I was excited when we got to 500."
The petition reads in part, "Residential schools were run by the Catholic Church and ripped children away from their families, where they suffered sexual violence, abuse, assimilation, loss of their identity, and murder. The Catholic and Anglican Church must formally apologize for its role in these schools and the murder and abuse of indigenous children."
Pope Francis had previously "expressed pain" over the Church's involvement in the schools. His predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, had expressed "sorrow" during a 2009 meeting with Canada's Assembly of First Nations, while Pope John Paul II called for the enhancement of Indigenous peoples during a trip to Canada in 1987.
Haddad said an official apology from the pontiff would allow the healing process to begin in earnest.
"An apology, I think, is the first step and the beginning toward the road of reconciliation," said Haddad. "I definitely think it shouldn't be the final step. There needs to be an acknowledgement of what has happened."
The Anglican Church of Canada, which also had a hand in running some schools, had formally apologized for its involvement in 1993. Haddad pointed out that while it was a good start, continued education and contrition are needed.
The petition is currently online at Change.org.
