Pope Francis apologized to Indigenous peoples on Monday and asked for forgiveness for the “evil committed by so many Christians” against them in Canada’s brutal residential school system. 

“I am sorry,” the pope said, while addressing Indigenous elders and residential school survivors at a former residential school site in Maskwacis, Alberta, about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton. 

“I humbly beg forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against the Indigenous peoples,” he said in Spanish, his mother tongue. The apology was translated into English and multiple Indigenous languages.

Last year, Canada’s brutal residential school history was thrust into international news after Tk’emlúps te Secwepemc First Nation announced it had detected more than 200 unmarked graves of Indigenous children at a former residential school site. The news inspired other Indigenous Nations across Canada to scan other sites, with more than 1,000 confirmed in 2021 alone. Thousands more are expected.