Washington D.C., Jun 3, 2021 / 14:21 pm
The Archdiocese of Vancouver has promised transparency and support for burial and identification efforts, following the discovery of unmarked Indigenous graves at a former Church-run residential school in Kamloops.
In a June 2 letter to First Nations governments and other Indigenous populations, Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB of Vancouver expressed a “deep apology and profound condolences to the families and communities that have been devastated” by the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The children were buried in unmarked graves, and it is unclear how they died.
“Each time new evidence of a tragedy is revealed, or another victim comes forward, countless wounds are reopened, and I know that you experience renewed suffering,” the archbishop said to the First Nations and other Indigenous communities.
The remains of the children were discovered in mid-May through the use of ground-penetrating radar. At least 51 children had already been reported dying while attending the school..