Re: “Trudeau will seek schools apology from Pope,” May 20.
I applaud Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach to Pope Francis, asking for an apology from the Catholic Church for the wrongs and injuries it perpetrated in its role in the residential schools. It is long past time, especially if the apology is sincere.
So far, Pope Francis has made no commitment. Perhaps he is aware that Trudeau promised reconciliation, but has failed to honour his pledge: He OK’d the Site C dam, which rides roughshod over Treaty 8 commitments and will flood aboriginal burial and other sacred sites. He has signed onto the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion despite strong First Nations opposition due to the likelihood of oil spills that threaten their traditional food supply.
Trudeau speaks of his world-class cleanup strategy, but no one has yet been able to undo the drastic consequences of such spills.
Unfortunately, Trudeau is a master of the New Colonialism: smile, make promises, then continue business as usual — bad business. Maybe, if he demonstrated a substantive and sincere commitment to reconciliation, the pope would find him a more trustworthy interlocutor.
Dorothy Field
Victoria
