Pope Francis on Monday made good on a promise to apologize to Canada's native people in their homeland for the Church's role in schools where indigenous children were abused, branding forced cultural assimilation "evil" and a "disastrous error."
Speaking near the site of a former school, Francis apologized for Christian support of the "colonizing mentality" of the times. He called for a "serious investigation" of the so-called residential schools and more assistance to help survivors and descendants heal.