The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations is calling for the Roman Catholic Church to follow through with a promise to provide $25 million to Residential Schools survivors.
In a news release issued Thursday, FSIN stated that the Church had agreed to raise the money as part of the Indian Residential School Survivor Agreement to support survivors and their families. The FSIN cited media reports that found the Catholic Church in Saskatoon region has only raised $34,650. Nationally, it is around $4 million, also well short of the $25 million.
“Thousands of First Nations children were victims of emotional, physical and sexual abuse at these church-run residential schools,” said FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron in a news release. “They were starved, shamed, and beaten for speaking their languages and stripped of their culture, traditions, and identity. These wrongs were committed by the Catholic Church and our survivors deserve a proper apology and compensation for what was done to them; not broken promises”
“For Catholics to raise millions to build multiple multi-million-dollar cathedrals and raise only $34,650 or $0.30 per survivor is shameful. Just as shameful as the acts committed against these little children by the priests, nuns, and institution they worship. If they can’t raise it in their houses of worship here, it should come from the richest organization in the world, The Vatican.”
