Papal apology will take time to assess for Indigenous survivors

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Southern Alberta Newspapers on April 8, 2022.

The apology of Pope Francis to the Indigenous peoples of Canada will take time to be fully received, and is a process that cannot be rushed, said an official with the Blood Tribe earlier this week.

“When an apology is given, the word, the energy, the spirit of the words and the intention behind an apology that’s transferred onto the victims, it’s transferred onto those you’re apologizing to so that energy is felt and the spirit has to come to understand that,” said Terri-Lynn Fox, director of wellness programs with the Blood Tribe department of health.

She says people need to respect survivors and generations thereafter to come to terms individually and as a collective, to determine what the words truly mean.

“Once we come to that reconciliation to overcome, to survive, to reach a good point, and once you say, ‘I accept your apology,’ we let the wrongdoing be what it is and we’re ready to move forward,” said Fox.

She believes the apology, which addressed the abuses Indigenous peoples experienced in residential schools, has awakened a global consciousness because it was broadcast and shared on social media.

“Millions, and billions, could have possibly heard the apology, so now we have to awaken the system, we move forward, moving forward through ceremony wanting to learn, and know and understand as best as non-Indigenous people can,” said Fox.

She said many residential school survivors did not have the chance to hear the apology because they have passed away, and as far as those who are still alive, some may have heard it and have accepted, while others may not have.

Fox, an Indian Day School survivor and daughter of two residential school survivors, heard the apology Friday while in her office and said she was moved by it.

“I viewed it Friday through social media and in my office and I was so touched, not only by the words of Pope Francis, but also, wow, wasn’t it magnificent to see the dancing? The amazing co-ordination and in sync with the drumbeat, that’s part of our life force,” said Fox.

She says for Pope Francis to see it first-hand and to be genuinely there, mindfully there and intentionally there, was magnificent.

“That was touching, and if you weren’t touched, I’m not sure what to say about that, but many probably were touched, which is a good thing,” said Fox. “We’re ready to reconcile or ready to work with the oppressors, and the abusers, and those who were part of assimilation tactics and genocidal mechanisms to eradicate First Nations people on Turtle Island.”

Fox says it is critical that time is taken to absorb the apology – to utilize ceremony and to respect those involved as they move forward.

“When we sit in ceremony it is what it is, there’s no time. It’s not from 1 (o’clock) to 2 – the ceremony is gonna start when all the individuals and all the elements are ready, and the ceremony will end when it is finished and complete in a good way.

“We don’t know how long that is, but we must respect the process.”

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