STATEMENT FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
TO THE CATHOLIC FAITHFUL
on the occasion of the 2023 National Day
of Truth and Reconciliation
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The Executive Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomes the 2023 National Day of Truth and Reconciliation as an opportunity to reflect on the tragic legacy of the former Indian Residential Schools and to pray for a continued path of healing with our Indigenous Peoples.
As noted by Pope Saint John Paul II in his 1987 Apostolic Voyage to Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, quoting from his Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis, no. 18: “The soul of the native peoples of Canada is hungry for the Spirit of God, because it is hungry for justice, peace, love, goodness, fortitude, responsibility and human dignity.”
The Catholic faithful of Canada are invited to enter into this day with a spirit of charity and compassion, as followers of Jesus Christ, members of his “living body of reconciliation,” so that together with all Canadians, we may continue to walk forward with Indigenous Peoples on the path of truth, justice, healing, reconciliation, and hope.
Let us recall the words of the Holy Father during his recent Apostolic Voyage to Canada: “The Church is the house where we ‘conciliate’ anew, where we meet to start over and to grow together. It is the place where we stop thinking as individuals and acknowledge that we are brothers and sisters of one another.”
30 September 2023
For more information on how the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is walking with Indigenous Peoples on the path of reconciliation, visit https://www.cccb.ca/indigenous-peoples/
