Image Credit: Kent Simmonds / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

ADVANCING TRUTH & RECONCILIATION

‘Significant step forward’: Sacred Covenant between Tk’emlúps, Catholic Archdiocese commits to action

Mar 28, 2024 | 6:00 PM

TK’EMLÚPS TE SECWÉPEMC — In what appears to be a show of good faith, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc will soon be putting pen to paper to commit to actions for reconciling.

“To sign it on Easter Sunday is a symbolic, and significant step forward,” Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Kukpi7 Rosanne Casimir told a news conference on Thursday (Mar. 28), “My hope is that is that other Archdiocese will undertake similar acts of contrition with many First Nations undertaking the same investigative work we are at the former residential schools.”

Casimir says band leadership has been negotiating with the Archdiocese about having access to historical records of Catholic-run Indian Residential Schools.

An early draft of what is referred to as the Sacred Covenant was developed by former Tk’emlúps Kukpi7 Manny Jules, and former Assembly of First Nations Chief Phil Fontaine. Most recently, Tk’emlúps leaders, including current Kukpi7 Casimir, the Vancouver Diocese, and the Kamloops Diocese have been working on the current agreement.

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“We have been very clear that we require cooperation from the Roman Catholic Church, particularly when it comes to accessing historical records,” adds Casimir.

The agreement secures a committment to finding ways of memorializing Le Estcwicwey (which means, ‘the missing’), sharing archives and records in their possession, offering supports for healing services, and answering questions that may arise during Tk’emlúps investigation.

“To bring justice to the children who never made it home is to be able to identify who they are. Bringing peace to the families and truth about the children’s passing,” states Casimir.

Vancouver’s Archbishop, J. Michael Miller, reiterated the Pope’s task of all Canadian diocese to find concrete ways to reconcile with First Nations.

“Unquestionably, the church was wrong in implementing a government colonialist policy which resulted in devastation for many children, families, and communities.”

In speaking to media this afternoon, Archbishop Miller also referred to swells of what is now known as ‘residential school denialism’, as incorrect.

“We do not back up or support those who deny the tragic events of Kamloops, in Kamloops at residential schools. I think the church has been pretty clear, very clear in fact, about the tragedy of the residential school system,” Miller reiterated. “The degree to which the Catholic parties collaborated with the government. And there’s no question that this was a tragedy in the past, and those who claim that it wasn’t, I think, are certainly misplaced in their judgement.”

The Archbishop also provided an update with regards to a previous financial committment made by the Vancouver Archdiocese, of $2.5 million over a five-year period for the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund. So far, Miller says the church has distributed $1.2 million for Indigenous-led projects around residential school investigations, and other healing initiatives.

“What I’d like to make clear is that although a lot of the funding of course is for projects within the Archdiocese of Vancouver as it currently exists, that we also acknowledge that for a long time, the diocese of Kamloops was part of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and we are welcoming Indigenous led initiatives to apply for a grant.”

Tk’emlúps adding this upcoming signing of the Sacred Covenant marks another step toward giving truth to the families, and generations who were harmed by Canada’s residential school system.