In May 2021, a mass grave of 215 Indigenous Children was found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, a Catholic-run school in British Columbia. In June 2021, another 751 unmarked graves were discovered at the former Marieval Indian Residential School, a Catholic-run school in Saskatchewan. These tragic discoveries reinforce the need for the Roman Catholic Church to reconcile its past with Canada's Indigenous communities. 

This campaign is about enacting the 58th recommendation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC): to call upon the Pope to issue an apology for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the abuse of Indigenous children in Catholic-run residential schools. The Catholic Church is the only major institution to have never issued a formal apology, even though nearly three-quarters of residential schools were Catholic-run

In 2015, the TRC issued 94 calls to action to foster reconciliation. So far, only 10 of the 94 actions are complete. Number 58 shouldn’t be this hard to do.

• For a succinct argument as to why this should happen, read the short essay The Day of Reckoning.
• Use the hashtag #make58happen to help promote this petition.

This campaign originally started in 2018 and has been reignited by news of the unmarked graves. Let's keep the momentum going. This is a chance for all of us to play a role in reconciliation and the collective healing of our communities.