62 items from the ethnological collections of the Vatican Museums will return to their place of origin, Canada.
By doing so, Pope Leo XIV is fulfilling a request made in 2022 to his predecessor, Pope Francis, during his apostolic journey.
One of the most significant moments of that trip was when Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the role the Church played in the management of various residential schools for Indigenous children.
With this return, according to the Holy See, “the path begun by Pope Francis through his apostolic journey to Canada and the various audiences with Indigenous communities is concluded.”
This announcement was made following the meeting between Pope Leo and the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The bishops will now hand over these items to national Indigenous organizations, who will be responsible for returning them to their communities of origin.
A similar episode occurred when the Vatican returned three pre-Hispanic mummies to Peru, which had been transferred to the Vatican Museums in 1925 for the Universal Exposition. This also took place in 2022.
Trans. CRT
