From southern India to Canada’s far north: New archbishop serves Indigenous Catholics

By The Associated PressOpens in new window

Published: February 02, 2026 at 7:25AM EST

The Rev. Susai Jesu, recently named archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas, gives an interview at the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples where he was once pastor, on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

As a teenager in southern India, Susai Jesu led 4:30 a.m. prayer services in his small Catholic village before the farmers went into the fields. He directed the choir, helped at Mass and soon began training for the priesthood.

Little did he know that this dedication would take him halfway around the world on a vast cross-cultural journey — ministering among Canada’s Indigenous Catholics, learning their language, culture and historical traumas. He hosted Pope Francis at his Edmonton parish when the late pontiff visited Canada in 2022 to apologize for the Catholic Church’s collaboration with the “catastrophic” system of Indigenous residential schools.

And as of Jan. 26, Jesu is now an archbishop for northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. He’ll oversee ministry to about 49,000 Catholics, mostly Indigenous, dispersed across a region larger than Texas.

In a ceremony punctuated by traditional drumming — as well as songs and prayers in an unusual combination of Cree, Dene, English, French, Oji-Cree and his native Tamil — Jesu was consecrated archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas.

Jesu’s first order of business is simply to spend time with the people. At each of the far-flung parishes he visits, he plans not only to preside at worship but to be “physically present with them,” he said in an interview. He hopes to build trust over time in a population that includes many loyal Catholics but also many who remain wounded and alienated from the church.

“For the first year, let us build a relationship,” said Jesu, 54, who was appointed archbishop by Francis’ successor, Leo XIV, in November. “With all those residential schools (and their legacy), what kind of Jesus are we giving today?”

The Largest Native Fruit in America. 3x More Nutrition Than Apples. Exti...

Pope Begs Forgiveness For Sins And 'Offenses' Of Church During Conquest Of Indigenous America

Pope Francis formally apologized this past Thursday for "the sins and "offenses" committed by the Catholic Church against indigenous peoples during the colonial-era conquest of the Americas." In the same trip to Boliva that the pope was reportedly to take place in the chewing of coca, the pope asked forgiveness from the indigenous groups and Bolivia's first-ever indigenous president, Evo Morales.

Francis admits with regret:

"Grave sins were committed against the native peoples of America in the name of God...I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offenses of the church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America... I also want for us to remember the thousands and thousands of priests who strongly opposed the logic of the sword with the power of the cross. There was sin, and it was plentiful. But we never apologized, so I now ask for forgiveness. But where there was sin, and there was plenty of sin, there was also an abundant grace increased by the men who defended indigenous peoples."

The crowd's response: wild and cheerful applause. "We accept the apologies that are more than we could have hoped for from a man like Pope Francis," says indigenous leader, Adolfo Chávez. It is clear that the power of forgiveness transcends religious belief, and can touch even those who have been mistreated for centuries.

This powerful apology was significant for many reasons. Many native cultures held much well deserved disregard for the church when thousands were slaughtered in the name of "God" during the conquest of indigenous america. The native spiritual teachings and medicines were also demonized, causing a deep-rooted misunderstanding by christians as to the values and benefits the native cultures had to offer. This is a step in the right direction in unifying the world religions to understand all people as one, and to garner respect for traditions older than time itself.

Source
Nicole Winfield and Frank Bajak, USNews.com

Source

.

.

In Bolivia, Pope Francis Apologizes for Church’s ‘Grave Sins’

AMERICAS




By JIM YARDLEY and WILLIAM NEUMAN

JULY 9, 2015

Pope Francis celebrated mass in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Thursday during his tour of South America. By Reuters on Publish DateJuly 9, 2015. Photo by Martin Alipaz/European Pressphoto Agency. 

Watch in Times Video »


SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia — Pope Francis offered a direct apology on Thursday for the complicity of the Roman Catholic Church in the oppression of Latin America during the colonial era, even as he called for a global social movement to shatter a “new colonialism” that has fostered inequality, materialism and the exploitation of the poor.

Speaking to a hall filled with social activists, farmers, garbage workers and Bolivian indigenous people, Francis offered the most ambitious, and biting, address of his South American tour.

He repeated familiar themes in sharply critiquing the global economic order and warning of environmental catastrophe — but also added a twist with his apology.

“Some may rightly say, ‘When the pope speaks of colonialism, he overlooks certain actions of the church,’ ” Francis said. “I say this to you with regret: Many grave sins were committed against the native people of America in the name of God.”

RELATED COVERAGE

Pope Francis Faces a Latin America Where Many Catholics Worship to a Different BeatJULY 9, 2015

Pope Francis, in Ecuador, Calls for More Protection of Rain Forest and Its PeopleJULY 7, 2015

Pope Francis Focuses on Family in Ecuador MassJULY 6, 2015

He added: “I humbly ask forgiveness, not only for the offense of the church herself, but also for crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America.”

Pope Francis met Thursday with President Evo Morales of Bolivia and apologized for the church's "sins" during Latin America's colonial era.
Credit David Mercado/Reuters

Francis, an Argentine, is the first Latin American pope, and his apology comes as he is trying to position the church as a refuge and advocate for the poor and dispossessed of his native continent.

During his visit to Ecuador, and now Bolivia, Francis has made broad calls for Latin American unity — on Thursday mentioning “Patria Grande,” the historic ambition to make the continent a unified world force — even as he has sidestepped some local controversies.

Bolivia suffered stark exploitation during Spanish rule, as silver deposits helped finance the Spanish empire, bankroll European colonialism elsewhere and also fill the treasury of the Vatican. Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, is a longtime leftist critic of the church, yet on Thursday he spoke before the pope and praised him.

Francis’ criticism of multinational corporations and global capitalism has already brought him criticism and suspicions among some who question the leftist tint of his ideas.

Francis spoke in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Thursday at the Second World Meeting of Popular Movements, a congress of global activists. CreditAlessandro Bianchi/Reuters

Mr. Morales, a fierce critic of American corporate influence, wore a white shirt and a dark jacket bearing a picture of the Communist revolutionary Che Guevara on the left breast.

“For the first time, I feel like I have a pope: Pope Francis,” Mr. Morales said.

Francis has filled four consecutive days with appearances, but other than an environmental critique offered in Ecuador, the pope had hewed mostly to theological topics or broad themes like family, service and mission.

His appearance on Thursday night was at the Second World Meeting of Popular Movements, a congress of global activists working to mobilize and help the poor. Some people wore Che Guevara T-shirts while some indigenous women wore traditional black bowlers.

Francis drew cheers when he called on the activists and others to change the social order: “I would even say that the future of humanity is in great measure in your own hands, through your ability to organize and carry out creative alternatives, through your daily efforts to ensure the three Ls — labor, lodging, land.”

Francis repeated his condemnation of an economic system rooted in pursuit of money and profits, but in an aside he criticized “certain free-trade treaties” and “austerity, which always tightens the belt of workers and the poor” — a likely reference to Greece.

“Human beings and nature must not be at the service of money,” he said. “Let us say no to an economy of exclusion and inequality, where money rules, rather than service. That economy kills. That economy excludes. That economy destroys Mother Earth.”

But if Francis again called for change, he also offered no detailed prescription.

8 Ways Pope Francis Is Changing the Direction of the Catholic Church

Francis has differed significantly from his predecessors with his outspoken style and his approach to leading the church. Here is a look at some of his comments on poverty, church reform, climate change and divorce.

“Don’t expect a recipe from this pope,” he said. “Neither the pope nor the church have a monopoly on the interpretation of social reality or the proposal of solution to contemporary issues. I dare say no recipe exists.”

In Latin America, Francis’ apology will likely draw the most attention, though he told the audience that Pope John Paul II had already apologized.

In 2000, John Paul made a blanket apology from the Vatican, asking forgiveness from Jews, ethnic populations on different continents and other groups. Francis’ apology was specific and made on Bolivian soil.

Yet Francis’s agenda for the trip includes bolstering the church, and he noted that many priests and laity had acted with courage on behalf of Latin America and said Catholicism was integral to the continent’s identity.

On the Road With the Pope

Our Vatican correspondent, Jim Yardley, is traveling with Pope Francis as he visits Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. Follow along as he chronicles the trip.

My Travels With Pope Francis

“An identity which here, as in other countries, some powers are committed to erasing, at times because our faith is revolutionary, because our faith challenges the tyranny of Mammon,” he said.

Inside the conference hall, Francis’ words resonated. Isabel Olivo, 64, an Uruguayan dairy farmer, praised the speech.

“Now what is needed is that what he said goes onto the agenda of all the politicians and the movements, that it goes on their work agenda and doesn’t get buried on their desks,” she said.

And Alfredo Marco, 48, a taxi driver and representative of neighborhood councils in Santa Cruz, praised the pope as speaking the “same language as President Evo, the same words.”

“There are two popes, Pope Francis and Pope Evo,” he said.

At the end of the speech, Francis made his familiar request that people pray for him, but mindful that this was a more secular crowd, he added that if people could not pray for him that “you think well of me and that you send me good energy.”


A version of this article appears in print on July 10, 2015, on page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: In Bolivia, Pope Apologizes for Church’s ‘Grave Sins’.

Source

.

Today We Honor Native Americans (And Not That Other Guy)

10/14/2013

By Courtney Bowie, Racial Justice Program at 12:43pm

Today, there is a federal holiday in honor of Christopher Columbus, but in South Dakota, citizens celebrate Native American Day "dedicated to the remembrance of the great Native American leaders who contributed so much to the history of [their] state." South Dakota's unique celebration of Native Americans instead of Christopher Columbus is important and not without controversy. However, the controversy should be in celebrating Christopher Columbus.

Christopher Columbus is celebrated for "discovering" this land of ours that he thought was India. After landing here accidentally, he named the people he found already here "Indians." This "discovery" had devastating effects for the so-called Indians (Native Americans) because the European settlers that followed needed land. Because of this, Native Americans were first pushed out of the East and later, the West. Through a series of notorious atrocities, including the Trail of Tears and Wounded Knee, the United States adopted an official expansionist policy of discriminating against Indians in favor of encouraging white settlers in their territories. This policy led to the subjugation, oppression, and death of many Native Americans. The effects are still being felt by Native Americans.


 

In honoring the history and culture of Native Americans today and every day, we work to recognize the dishonor in our past and help to remedy the discrimination against Native Americans today. In Winner, South Dakota, the ACLU represents a class of Native American students who were subjected to discriminatory treatment and a racially hostile environment in their school. In 2006, the ACLU filed a class action lawsuit against the school district. When the suit was filed, Native American students made up approximately 19 percent of the student population, but 100 percent of the students suspended out of school at the high school in 2003-2004 were Native American. Furthermore, in 2004-2005, 19 percent of the Native American students were referred to the police from school for offenses such as fighting, while only 1 percent of the white students were referred to the police.

The district's hostile environment and disciplinary practices led to a large number of Native American drop-outs. But through the implementation of the Consent Decree and the recent efforts of the district, things have improved for Native American students in Winner. In the last two years, there have been no referrals to the police and the new superintendent has instituted a child-centered practice of handling most school discipline issues within the school. Graduation rates have increased significantly for Native American students. While work remains, progress has also been made and there is hope.

The students in Winner today are descendants of survivors of a war that began when Columbus "discovered" the world that was new to Europeans and victims of the discrimination that continued long after their ancestors were dispossessed. On this day, perhaps more than any other, we should be mindful of their history and our role in it. You can watch a video of our clients describing the school district, its treatment of their children, and their hope for the future of the district.


Source
.

Survivors of 2005 Red Lake School Shooting Offer Solace in Newtown

Justin Jourdain, a 2008 graduate of Red Lake High School who was in the school during the shootings that occurred in 2005, poses with a Red Lake Band of Chippewa flag signed by students and residents of the reservation in Bemidji, Minnesota. (Photo: AP/SL)




GALE COUREY TOENSING
December 22, 2012


A delegation of former students who survived the 2005 school shootings on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota traveled to Newtown, Connecticut, to offer comfort and compassion to the grieving community after the horrific killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14 that left 20 six- and seven-year-old children and six of their teachers dead.

The former Red Lake students, now in their 20s, and others left Minnesota in a three-vehicle caravan on Wednesday, December 19, heading east on a 1,500-mile journey to offer solace and solidarity to the survivors and community of the latest school shootings, the Associated Press reported. Many of the former Red Lake students were ninth graders in 2005 when an armed 16-year-old student killed his grandfather and grandfather's girlfriend and then drove to the Red Lake school, where he smashed through a classroom window and killed five students, a teacher and a security guard before killing himself. Five others were wounded in the shooting spree.

"We know exactly what those kids and families are going through," Leah Cook told AP. Cook, aged 16 at the time, still bears a mark where a bullet grazed her leg as she fled her classroom. "We want to share with them what we went through and show them that there's hope and let them know they're not alone."

Besides wanting to offer solace, they were doing what had been done for them: A delegation of Columbine High School students had visited Red Lake after enduring their own 1999 shooting that left a dozen students and a teacher dead, with 23 wounded.

The Red Lake delegation arrived in Newtown on Thursday, December 20, the Norwalk Citizen reported. They were to meet with Sandy Hook Elementary School teachers and families to present tribal flags signed by children, a dream catcher, and a memorial plaque that the Columbine delegation of students had brought to Red Lake in 2005, with the understanding that they would pass it on in the event of a shooting at another school. The Columbine survivors had received the plaque from survivors of a previous school shooting, the Norwalk Citizen said.

An elementary school–age Red Lake group, the Little Thunderbirds, sang traditional Native American songs to honor the Newtown community on Thursday afternoon, the Norwalk Citizen said. A ceremony was scheduled for Thursday night, for which the Dakota 38 Memorial Ride sent prayer ties. The Dakota 38 Memorial Ride is a group that commemorates the December 26, 1862, massacre of 38 Dakota men In Mankato, Minnesota, in what was then the largest mass execution in the history of United States.

Source

.

Native Americans celebrate first Catholic sainthood

October 21, 2012 9:30 PM


ByAllen Pizzey

(CBS News) VATICAN CITY - At the Vatican Sunday, two women who lived in America were elevated to sainthood. One did her work in Hawaii, and the other was a Mohawk from upstate New York -- the first Native American canonized.

St Peter's Square has seen every kind of Catholic ceremony there is, but this one broke the mould. For the first time, Native Americans were here in force.

The draw was the first of their people ever to be proclaimed a saint.

Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in what is now upstate New York. Disfigured and partially blinded by smallpox, she was thrown out of her tribe when she converted to Christianity at age 20, and died four years later. She came to be known as the "Lily of the Mohawks".

For Gerald Tukwin, a Native American from Potawatomi, Kansas, it was the culmination of a dream.

"I thought a lot of our ancestors are probably really excited this day, although they've already passed on they got to be happy with us and what's taken place here in the Vatican," Tukwin said.

The church sees saints as way of rekindling faith.

Making the grade as a saint can take years, sometimes centuries. The most important criteria is miracles: One to be to be beatified; a second to reach sainthood.

Twelve year-old Jake Finkbonner from Washington State is Tekakwitha's second. Stricken with a flesh-eating disease at age five, he was inexplicably cured after his parents prayed to her.

The elevation of Mother Marianne Cope, who worked in the leper colony in Molokai, Hawaii, until her death in 1918, brings the total of American saints to twelve.

Benedict praised the new saints as "heroic and courageous examples".

Coincidentally or not, their canonization came as Catholic bishops are meeting here to find ways to revive Christianity in places where it is fading

Source
.