Catholic Residential School

Pope Francis said on Saturday that what happened at residential schools that the Roman Catholic and other Christian Churches ran to forcefully assimilate Canada's indigenous children was genocide.

Canada's leaders on Wednesday pointedly told Pope Francis of the horrors of Church-run residential schools for indigenous and the pontiff lamented that many were still living in poverty in one of the world's richest countries.

Pope Francis heads to Canada on Sunday for a chance to personally apologise to Indigenous survivors of abuse committed over a span of decades at residential schools run by the Catholic Church.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday he has asked the pope to come to Canada to apologize for the Catholic Church's role running residential schools for indigenous children.

An indigenous group in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on Thursday said it had found the unmarked graves of an estimated 751 people at a now-defunct Catholic residential school, just weeks after a similar, smaller discovery rocked the country.

Hundreds of unmarked graves have been found near a former Catholic residential school for indigenous children in western Canada, local media reported late Wednesday.

Indigenous leaders and school survivors on Sunday dismissed Pope Francis' expressions of pain at the discovery of 215 children's remains at a former Catholic residential school in Canada, saying the church needed to do much more.

Pope Francis said on Saturday that what happened at residential schools that the Roman Catholic and other Christian Churches ran to forcefully assimilate Canada's indigenous children was genocide.

Canada's leaders on Wednesday pointedly told Pope Francis of the horrors of Church-run residential schools for indigenous and the pontiff lamented that many were still living in poverty in one of the world's richest countries.

Pope Francis heads to Canada on Sunday for a chance to personally apologise to Indigenous survivors of abuse committed over a span of decades at residential schools run by the Catholic Church.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday he has asked the pope to come to Canada to apologize for the Catholic Church's role running residential schools for indigenous children.

An indigenous group in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan on Thursday said it had found the unmarked graves of an estimated 751 people at a now-defunct Catholic residential school, just weeks after a similar, smaller discovery rocked the country.

Hundreds of unmarked graves have been found near a former Catholic residential school for indigenous children in western Canada, local media reported late Wednesday.

Indigenous leaders and school survivors on Sunday dismissed Pope Francis' expressions of pain at the discovery of 215 children's remains at a former Catholic residential school in Canada, saying the church needed to do much more.