Write@Home
Winter 2015

Canada

Airdrie Alberta Canada, October 10 2021: A Truth and Reconciliation day first nations art piece at t

I have learned a few things about Residential schools in Canada since I moved here. I know that each country has its problems, difficulties and sometimes has a past with sadness and pain.

Brazil has so many sad stories and Canada too.

Recently, our Pope was here to talk about the Residential Schools.

The Residential Schools began in 1880 and were mandatory for the Indigenous children of Canada and priests and nuns controlled the schools.

The goal was to teach English and history to the Indigenous Peoples.

However, what happened there was more than teachings, there was mistreatment and sometimes death. This happened because if the child did not want to study or did not want to behave correctly, that child was punished.

Sometimes the child was beaten until he died.

These schools ran until 1996 and recently many bodies were discovered.

This is the sad story of this wonderful country.

So, the Pope came to Canada to apologize and beg forgiveness for the atrocities committed against Indigenous people for decades and decades.

I particularly liked of Pope’s position. He was sensitive and saw that the church was not as “pure” as we thought.

Unfortunately, thousands of children died before the Pope and the church recognized this sad reality.

This is a sad story but it must be told.