The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action No. 58 requests the Pope to deliver an apology on Canadian soil to the survivors of Catholic-operated residential schools, their families, and communities. Following years of failure by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to invite the Pope to Canada to deliver the requested apology, and the continuing failure by the Bishops to explain why they had not extended such an invitation to Pope Francis, we began this petition in June 2021.

Your response was overwhelming. Over 65,800 of you stood up and supported the petition demanding that the CCCB extend an invitation to the Pope to visit Canada. Ultimately, the Bishops did extend an invitation to the Pope. In October 2021, the Vatican announced that the Pope had accepted and planned to visit Canada.

Details of the when and the where of the papal visit were not disclosed at that time. For that reason, and out of concern for Pope Francis’s failing health, we kept the petition active until we were satisfied that the papal visit and apology had become a reality.

On July 25, 2022, gathered with Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors on Canadian soil, the Pope identified the Church’s failures, expressed his sorrow, asked for forgiveness, committed to healing, and joined Canada on the road to reconciliation with a moving and emotional apology – a genuine response to Call to Action 58! We are humbled by, and thankful for, the support you showed for our petition.

George Valin and Maurice Switzer