VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has expressed pain over the discovery in Canada of the remains of 215 boarding school students and urged church and political authorities to work together to shed light on the “shocking” development. But he didn't offer the apology sought by the Canadian prime minister. Francis on Sunday called on political and church authorities to shed light on what happened and to foster healing. Two days earlier, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voiced deep disappointment that the Vatican hadn't offered an apology. From the 19th century until the 1970s, more than 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools, the majority of them run by Roman Catholic missionary congregations.
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AP
Pope Francis speaks from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter's Square at The Vatican to a crowd of faithful and pilgrims gathered for the Sunday Angelus noon prayer, Sunday, June 6, 2021. Pope Francis has expressed sorrow over the discovery in Canada of the remains of 215 boarding school students but didn't offer the apology sought by the Canadian prime minister. Francis in public remarks on Sunday called on political and church authorities to work to shed light “on this sad affair” and to foster healing. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)
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