Archbishop of Montreal issues apology for residential school system in Quebec

The Archbishop of Montreal offered an apologyto Indigenous communities on Friday, in the wake of the discovery of what arebelieved to be the remains of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C.

Christian Lpine's apology came during a mass on Friday evening at Mary Queen of the World Cathedralin downtown Montreal. The event was organized in memory of those children.

In a written statement, the archbishop recognized that residentialschools destroyed the lives of many families.

"I am deeply distressed to know that, as Catholics and as Canadians, we collaborated in view of God and the world with this policy of assimilating the First Nations people under the guise of education," Lpine said in a statement.

"We must acknowledge the damage that we have caused; we must commit to assisting each family still seeking the truth about their little loved one who disappeared without a trace, so that they may finally be able to grieve; and we must offer our apologies for the wrongdoing that has been committed."

The apology comes a week after Prime Minister Trudeau asked the Catholic Church to recognize its role in the harms done during its administrationof residential schools.

The Catholic Church, as an institution, has yet to apologize.Pope Francis expressed his "pain" last Sunday and called for the respect of the rights and culture of Indigenous people.