The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops says 62 Indigenous artifacts held for a century in the Vatican Museums have been returned to Canada as a gift from Pope Leo XIV
The Church says the return process was initiated by the late Pope Francis, who wanted the items transferred to the CCCB in support of its ongoing reconciliation efforts with Indigenous Peoples.
In a statement, CCCB president Bishop Pierre Goudreault called the return “a tangible sign” of the Pope’s desire to help Canada’s bishops walk alongside Indigenous Peoples “in a spirit of reconciliation.”
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The cultural and sacred items were originally sent to Rome between 1923 and 1925 for the Vatican Missionary Exhibition and have since been housed in the museums’ ethnological collection.
The CCCB says the artifacts will soon be transferred to national Indigenous organizations, which will work to return them with their communities of origin.
The exchange took place Saturday during an audience between Pope Leo XIV and representatives of the Canadian bishops.
The joint statement from the Holy See and the CCCB describes the return as “a concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity” and part of the Church’s ongoing journey following Pope Francis’s 2022 visit to Canada and the 2023 Declaration on the Doctrine of Discovery.
The bishops say the Church remains committed to reconciliation.
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