OTTAWA — The NDP is hoping MPs from other parties will join them in issuing a formal invitation to Pope Francis to apologize to residential school survivors.
NDP MP Charlie Angus says an opposition day motion to be debated Thursday is meant to appeal straight to the Pope.
A papal apology delivered on Canadian soil was one of 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Last month, Bishop Lionel Gendron of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a letter to Indigenous Peoples in Canada to say that after carefully considering the request, Pope Francis felt he could not personally respond.
The conference of bishops has since clarified that while an apology from the Pope would be inappropriate given the structure of the Roman Catholic Church, Canadian bishops would be best placed to keep engaging in reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Angus says the motion would act as a "moral call" to Pope Francis, as a leader with a reputation for caring about social justice, to do the right thing.
