Pope departs Canada heads back to Rome

Pope Francis left Cana on Friday after delivering an apology to Inuit people for "evil" of Cana's residential schools, wrapping up his week-long "penitential pilgrim" to Cana with a dramatic visit to remote territory of Nunavut to meet with school survivors.

Francis landed in Iqaluit, population 7,500, and met with former students at a primary school to hear first-hand ir experiences of being torn from ir families and forced to attend church-run, government funded boarding schools. aim of policy, which was in effect from late 1800s to 1970s, was to sever children from ir Native cultures and assimilate m into Canian, Christian society.

"How evil it is to break bonds uniting parents and children, to dam our closest relationships, to harm and scandalize little ones!" Francis told a garing of Inuit youths and elders outside school.

He thanked school survivors for ir cour in sharing ir suffering, which he h heard for first time this past spring when delegations of First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples traveled to Vatican to seek an apology.

"This only renewed in me indignation and shame that I have felt for months," Francis said. "I want to tell you how very sorry I am and to ask for forgiveness for evil perpetrated by t a few Catholics who contributed to policies of cultural assimilation and enfranchisement in those schools."

Before his speech, pope — seated in a chair covered in seal skin — watched Inuit throat singers perform.

visit capped an unusual tour designed specifically to give pope opportunities to apologize to generations of Native peoples for abuses and injustices y suffered and to assure m that he was committed to helping m reconcile ir relationship with Catholic Church. After stops in Edmonton, Alberta, and Quebec City, Francis ended his pilgrim in Nunavut, a vast territory strdling Arctic Circle that represents farst rth Argentine pope has ever traveled.

Ahe of his arrival, organizers reied scores of hats with mesh face protection to guard against mosquitoes that sometimes abound in mild summer temperatures of Iqaluit, which is some 200 miles south of Arctic Circle.

Canian government has said physical and sexual abuse were rampant at residential schools, and Francis on Thursday begged forgiveness for "evil" of clergy sexual abuse, vowing an "irreversible commitment" to prevent it from happening again. His vow came after he omitted a reference to sexual abuse in his initial apology this week, upsetting some survivors and earning a complaint from Canian government.

Francis' apologies have received a mixed response, with some school survivors welcoming m as helpful to ir healing and ors saying far more needs to be done to correct past wrongs and pursue justice. Several protesters appeared at main event in Iqaluit with placards making demands of this nature.

Inuit community is seeking Vatican assistance to extrite an Oblate priest, Rev. Joannes Rivoire, who ministered to Inuit communities until he left in 1990s and returned to France. Canian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in 1998 on accusations of several counts of sexual abuse, but it has never been served.

Canian government said this week that it h asked France to extrite Rivoire, but did t say when. Rivoire has denied wrongdoing.

Francis heard from survivors in a private meeting, including one woman whose daughter died at a residential school; woman and her husband have been searching for her grave for years.

Ar speaker was daughter of one of Rivoire's victims, who died after years of alcohol abuse, said Lieve Halsberghe, an vocate for clergy abuse victims who has fought for years to bring Rivoire to justice.

Inuit warmly welcomed Francis to ir homeland and lit a ceremonial lamp, or qulliq, for occasion.

Francis referred to its symbolic significance in his remarks, saying it dispelled darkness and brought warmth.

"We are here with desire to pursue toger a journey of healing and reconciliation that, with help of Creator, can help us shed light on what happened and move beyond that dark past," Francis said

Im: AP