“I want to tell you how sorry I am,” he said. The roughly four-hour visit – which lasted more than an hour than planned – included private meetings with survivors from schools, as well as public performances by traditional singers and drummers. It culminated in the Pope’s public address outside a local primary school. When the Pope finished his speech, there were tears and applause, with some shouting “we love you!” to the pontiff. Elsewhere in the crowd, some spectators held signs protesting residential schools and the Doctrine of Discovery. People attend the community event for Pope Francis outside Nakasuk Elementary School in Iqaluit on Friday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) The Iqaluit trip marked the first papal visit to Canada’s newest territory, and for some, a potential turning point in a century-long relationship between the Catholic Church and Canada’s Inuit. “I’m very happy that Pope Francis can come here and I’m happy that I can see this,” Ooleepika Veevee told CBC News in Inuktitut on Friday. Veevee was in Iqaluit on Friday and two days ago was also in Quebec for the Pope’s visit there. “He came from Rome to come and apologize,” he said. Pope Francis meets with residential school graduates at Nakasuk Elementary School Square on Friday. (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images) Raigelee Alorut, also from Iqaluit, told CBC News in Inuktitut that she was there to honor her parents and other relatives “who are no longer here.” She said her parents were sent from Iqaluit to Churchill, Man., and though they eventually returned, their lives were changed forever. “They never talked about anything, about their experiences. Because they were hurting inside,” Alorut said. “I have been affected, my children as well as my grandchildren. As it is an intergenerational trauma. Many who have never been homeschooled are also affected by it.”
A spectator holds a sign listing the closing dates of two Nunavut residential schools as Pope Francis prepares to deliver his remarks to a crowd gathered outside Nakasuk School on Friday. (Jackie McKay/CBC) The Pontiff was greeted by local officials, including Nunavut Premier PJ Akeeagok and Commissioner Eva Aariak. Crowds gathered outside Nakasuk School immediately after the Pope’s arrival. They heard drummers and singers on stage, while the pontiff met privately with school survivors inside. Among those who spoke privately with the Pope were survivor and former Nunavut commissioner Piita Irniq, as well as Tanya Tungilik, who described how her father Marius Tungilik was abused as a student at a residential school in Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, and how she experience haunted her father. life and family for years to come. Marius Tungilik, who died in 2012, was among the first survivors in Nunavut to publicly tell their story and push for church accountability.
Eighty-four-year-old Mary Ajaaq Anowtalik, right, necked by singer Lois Suluk. The two sang for the Pope on Friday afternoon. (Kate Kyle/CBC) After the private meetings inside, the Pope moved outside to participate in a public event. Seated on stage in front of a large crowd, he watched a song and drum performance before delivering his speech. After the speech, the Pope sat next to Governor General Mary Simon for some final greetings before being transferred back to the papal plane to depart for Rome.

“Start moving forward”

“Once the pope apologizes, we have to find a way to move on from this. To start moving forward,” said Mary Ajaaq Anowtalik, an 84-year-old elder from Arviat, Nunavut, speaking in Inuktitut ahead of the papal visit. Anowtalik was part of a throat-singing performance before the Pope. A person holds a protest sign during a community event for Pope Francis in the plaza outside Nakasuk Elementary School in Iqaluit on July 29, 2022. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Anowtalik sees the visit as an opportunity for the Pope to “start on a different path.” “In the old days, if there was someone who needed guidance, they were brought to the elders, for life skills, guidance,” he said through a translator. Anowtalik’s comments hint at a dynamic shift that has occurred in recent years amid debates about colonialism, reconciliation and the legacy of residential schools. Where the church and its leaders once presented themselves as spiritual guides for aboriginal people, they are now seen by some in Nunavut as those in need of guidance. Pope Francis arrives in Iqaluit on July 29, 2022, for the final leg of the papal visit to Canada. The quick, hours-long stopover, before departing for Rome, marks the first time a pontiff has traveled to Nunavut. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) “I just want to hear him say that the church is open without prejudice to everyone,” said Aksaqtunguaq Ashoona, who will be among a group of Inuit to greet the pope when he lands in Ikaluit. “That’s all I want to hear him say. Like, apologize and open the church doors again.” There is a small Catholic parish in Iqaluit and the town is one of 16 communities in the Canadian Arctic with a Catholic population. Some communities have permanent missions with a priest or sister, others are attended by visiting priests or sisters. Speaking to Vatican News recently, the Catholic bishop of Ikaluit, Anthony Wieslaw Krótki, acknowledged that Ikaluit does not have a large native Catholic population and that most Inuit in the city are Anglicans. Iqaluit was chosen for the papal visit simply because of logistics, he suggested. But the church’s historical legacy looms large in many parts of the territory. The papal plane is pictured at the airport near downtown Iqaluit on Friday. (Ryan Mahle/CBC) The first permanent Catholic mission in Canada’s eastern Arctic was established on the west coast of Hudson Bay at Chesterfield Inlet in 1912 by Arsène Turquetil. Decades later, the student residence named for him in Chesterfield Inlet – Turquetil Hall – would become notorious as a site for the physical and sexual abuse of young Inuit. Between 1955 and 1969, hundreds of children were sent there, away from their homes and families. Many other Inuit children were sent to the equally notorious Grollier Hall, in Inuvik, NWT Some school survivors will be in Iqaluit on Friday, including former Nunavut commissioner Piita Irniq, who will be part of the official delegation greeting Pope Francis. According to a draft itinerary of the Pope’s visit, Irniq will have about five minutes to testify before the Pope. The Pope will spend about two and a half hours in Iqaluit, arriving just before 4 p.m. ET and departing around 6:20 p.m. ET. Support is available for anyone affected by residential schools and those triggered by the latest reports. The Indian Association of Residential School Survivors (IRSSS) can be reached toll free at 1-800-721-0066. A national Indian residential school crisis line has been set up to provide support to former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419. In addition, the NWT Helpline offers free support to residents of the Northwest Territories, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is 100% free and confidential. The NWT Helpline also has an option for follow-up calls. Residents can call the helpline at 1-800-661-0844. In Nunavut, the Kamatsiaqtut Helpline is open 24 hours a day at 1-800-265-3333. People are invited to call for any reason.