apologised and begged forgiveness Friday for the "deplorable" abuses suffered by Indigenous Peoples in Canada's church-run residential schools.
More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianise and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.
The trip to Rome by the Indigenous was years in the making but gained momentum last year after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves outside some of the residential schools. The three groups of Indigenous met separately with Francis over several hours this week, culminating with Friday's audience.