Church apology a giant step toward reconciliation

Say you’re sorry. How often were you told that in your childhood? How genuine is a forced or coerced apology? 

I was thinking about this during the coverage of Indigenous people meeting with the Pope over the residential school issue. They did get their apology from the Pope after they demanded it time and again over the years. If it’s that easy to make a problem go away, why wasn’t it done ages ago.

Well, there are legal implications for the Catholic Church. An apology is tantamount to admitting blame, and that opens the door to all forms of retribution. 

The big show at the Vatican is the beginning rather than settlement of the residential schools issue. It opens the door for genuine reconciliation initiatives to move forward. It won’t be a quick resolution, expect it to drag through the court system for years. Look no further than Indigenous land claims which are still plugging the courts.

A small step, but a giant step at the same time.