News
The Bishops of Canada wanted to acknowledge the continuation of their journey of hope, reconciliation and healing with the Indigenous peoples of our country by offering four letters. Three letters are addressed individually to First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. The fourth letter is addressed to the Catholic faithful in this country.
The content of the letters to Indigenous peoples is rooted in conversations with Indigenous partners and speeches by Pope Francis who invited the bishops to continue to take concrete steps in this process of reconciliation.
Copies of these letters can be accessed here:
The individual letters confirm the bishops’ commitment to Indigenous peoples to:
- Continue the dialogue
- Fulfill the commitment of the Reconciliation Fund project ($30 million over five years)
- Support educational projects that promote knowledge of history, cultural, linguistic and spiritual traditions
- Find resources and solutions to address the social challenges faced by many generations
- Provide accompaniment in the quest for justice in the spirit of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and Catholic Social Teaching
- Solidarity with the blessings of Creation and its spiritual traditions
- Appreciate the important role of women in faith communities
- Share an appreciation of respect for the spiritual wisdom of elders
The letter to the Catholic faithful:
This letter is an invitation from the Bishops of Canada to all members of the Catholic Church in Canada to join them in continuing efforts at reconciliation and healing.
Efforts in our diocese
Archbishop Damphousse and Bishop Mathieu were pleased to have the privilege of accompanying a group of Indigenous people and their families on the Pope’s pilgrimage in July 2022.
Since then, the diocese has launched the campaign “A Christ-Centered, Co-Journey Towards Healing – Ottawa-Cornwall’s Fundraising Campaign in Support of Reconciliation.” Full details of the campaign can be found at www.journeyforhealing.ca. The next major step will be to manage the project submissions received and ensure the redistribution of funds through the committee established for this purpose.
We also encourage the faithful and clergy to continue to learn about the history, cultural, linguistic, and spiritual traditions of the Indigenous brothers and sisters of our diocese. The invitation is extended to Catholics and non-Catholics who wish to organize and participate in activities that allow us to highlight the Indigenous people of the diocese. We also encourage you to consult the resources available under the heading “Resources” on the campaign website: