On Sunday a large walk took place in Ottawa to mark the release this week of the Truth &
Reconciliation Report and a small walk began here at Bridge St. Church in Belleville.
This morning the news is full of talk about the release of the report today, the culmination of the inquiry into Aboriginal Residential Schools in Canada. The T &R commission has been at work for six years, listening to the sad and even gruesome stories of cultural genocide against First Nations persons for the better part of a century. The report itself is 300 pages and documents the systemic and suffering. We know as well that an estimated 6,000 children died while in the schools and the graphic above points out the terribly toll of those deaths. http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=3
The United Church of Canada was complicit in this shameful reality as one of the denominations which ran residential schools. It is a dark reality in a denomination which has been passionate about justice through the years. We have been involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and worked toward both reparation and reconciliation. Our United Church crest now reflects our connection with First Nations and we have been involved in restoring "right relations" with our Aboriginal congregations and the broader community.
I encourage you to listen carefully to the recommendations of the commission and to take time to become better acquainted with what the United Church has been doing. We can pray repentance and reconciliation in the days ahead. http://www.united-church.ca/communications/news/general/150519
The Kairos website is helpful as well.
https://twitter.com/hashtag/TRC2015?src=hash&lang=en
Comments?
3 comments:
Apart from the gas chambers we did the same to indigenous people that Hitler was doing in Europe - why are we Canadians not more ashamed?
a very good question, Judy!
I hope it makes us all "think"
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