Catholic bishops commit to provincewide fundraising campaign for residential school survivors

A $25-million ask has turned into a commitment.

On Sunday, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) called on the Roman Catholic Church to fulfil its vow of $25 million for the survivors and descendants of those in the residential school system.

Now, the Catholic Bishops of Saskatchewan have committed to a provincewide fundraising campaign.

“To maximize the effectiveness of such an effort, it is important to plan well and to co-ordinate the efforts of various potential participants, and most importantly, to consult with Indigenous dialogue partners, including Survivors, Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Chiefs. Those conversations are already underway and we hope to be able to announce a plan soon,” a Saturday statement from the Catholic Bishops of Saskatchewan reads.

FSIN’s Sunday ask also included a reiterated demand: An apology from Pope Francis. The FSIN also reiterated its ask for the release of all residential school records.

“(Those) who committed first degree murder on children attending their institutions with intent on annihilation of First Nations children and culture. We demand justice,” the Sunday release states.

The calls come following the discoveries of 215 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops and 751 unmarked graves at a residential school near Cowessess First Nation in June. Another 182 were found at another B.C. residential school site Friday.