Vatican Returns 62 Indigenous Artifacts to Canada, Marking Historic Step in Reconciliation
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The Vatican has returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada, marking a significant step in the Catholic Church's efforts to reckon with its colonial past. The artifacts, including an iconic Inuit kayak, were part of the Vatican's ethnographic collection and were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries in 1925. The return of the artifacts is a result of negotiations that accelerated after Pope Francis met with Indigenous leaders in 2022 to apologize for the church's role in running Canada's residential schools. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has committed to returning the items to Indigenous communities "as soon as possible.
