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Articles on Pope Francis

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People pray in front of the tomb of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI inside the grottos of St. Peter’s Basilica, at the Vatican, on Jan. 8, 2023. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Calls for Pope Benedict’s sainthood make canonizing popes seem like the norm – but it’s a long and politically fraught process

A specialist in Catholic liturgy and rituals explains that while several popes have been canonized, it is a long process that may take several years to examine and uncover any hidden flaws.
A rare photo from an Indian Residential School in Fort Resolution, N.W.T. These systems have been labeled a form of genocide by the Canadian House of Commons. (Department of Mines and Technical Surveys/Library and Archives Canada)

Residential school system recognized as genocide in Canada’s House of Commons: A harbinger of change

Canada’s recent resolution to label the Indian Residential School system as genocide (and not cultural genocide) is not a mere alteration of words, it is a significant and consequential change.
In her efforts to build a new relationship with the Catholic Church, Queen Elizabeth II had interactions with several pontiffs. She is seen here with Pope John Paul II. AP Photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Pool, File

Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne at a time of deep religious divisions and worked to bring tolerance

Queen Elizabeth II encouraged tolerance in a multifaith United Kingdom. To appreciate the significance of her efforts, it is important to understand the country’s complicated religious history.
A protestor holds a sign saying ‘Reparation for Reconciliation’ as Pope Francis arrives for a public event in Iqaluit, Nunavut on July 29, 2022, during his papal visit across Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Reparations to Indigenous Peoples are critical after Pope’s apology for residential schools

The Pope’s apology could mark a new way forward if the Catholic Church makes genuine reparations for the evils it perpetrated.
Gilda Soosay, president of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows Parish Council in Maskwacis, Canada, where Pope Francis visited the site of a state school for Indigenous children. Cole Burston/AFP via Getty Images

Christianity was a major part of Indigenous boarding schools – a historian whose family survived them explains

A historian of the residential schools explains how religion played a key role in assimilationist systems for Indigenous children in Canada and the United States.
Pope Francis arrives to a hero’s welcome at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on July 26, 2022, to take part in a public mass. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

I survived the ’60s Scoop. Here’s why the Pope’s apology isn’t an apology at all

Apologizing for people versus the establishment that upheld not only the Indian Residential Schools system but protected – and continues to protect — the people who committed the crimes is horrifying.
Drawing of St. Peter’s cathedral, Rome, with the Vatican wall in the left distance, c. 1640. (The Trustees of the British Museum)

The Vatican and Western Canadian missions: A brief history

Residential schools and the papal bulls justifying the doctrine of discovery call out for concrete acts of atonement and reparation on the part of the church.
Pope Francis’s visit to Canada will offer him an opportunity to apologize for the harms of the Catholic-run Indian Residential Schools. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Why the Pope’s visit is important to all Canadians

Pope Francis’ visit concerns all Canadians. It’s about our relationship to history and the construction of a state that marginalized Indigenous people and tried to assimilate them.
A playground bench is colorfully decorated at the new Sandy Hook Elementary School, which replaced the one torn down after a gunman killed 20 first graders and six educators in 2012. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Demolishing schools after a mass shooting reflects humans’ deep-rooted desire for purification rituals

An anthropologist explains the power of purification rituals, such as bringing down a building following a tragic occurrence in it, and why they help reduce our anxieties.

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