Pope Leo XIV presents 62 indigenous artifacts to Canadian bishops In a Saturday meeting, Pope Leo XIV received Monsignor Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocati\u00e8re and president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, at which the Holy Father gifted dozens of artifacts that originated with Indigenous peoples of the North American country. Leo at the meeting donated 62 pieces from the ethnological collections of the Vatican Museums to the Canadian bishops. Bishop Goudreault was accompanied by Archbishop Richard Smith of Vancouver and Father Jean V\u00e9zina, secretary general of the Canadian bishops. \u201cIt is an act of ecclesial sharing, through which the Successor of Peter entrusts to the Church in Canada these objects, which bear witness to the history of the encounter between the faith and cultures of indigenous peoples,\u201d the Vatican said. The 62 donated objects come from various indigenous communities and are part of the collection received during the 1925 Vatican Missionary Exhibition, promoted by Pope Pius XI during the Holy Year to bear witness to the faith and cultural richness of the peoples. \u201cThe Holy Father Leo XIV wanted this gift to represent a concrete sign of dialogue, respect, and fraternity,” the Holy See said. \u201cSent to Rome by Catholic missionaries between 1923 and 1925, these objects became part of the Lateran Missionary Ethnological Museum, which later became the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum of the Vatican Museums,\u201d the Vatican added. Pope Leo’s gift is part of the observance of the Jubilee Year 2025. All the pieces are accompanied by information from the Vatican Museums \u201ccertifying their provenance and the circumstances of their transfer to Rome for the 1925 Exhibition.\u201d \u201cThey were handed over to the Canadian Episcopal Conference, which, in a spirit of loyal cooperation and dialogue with the Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Vatican City State, has committed to ensuring their proper care, promotion, and conservation,\u201d the Vatican said. During a July 2022 visit to Canada, Pope Francis left a message of reconciliation and emphasized the need to \u201cstart afresh\u201d by looking together at Christ crucified. Throughout his trip, the pope had expressed his shame and regret for the role played by the Catholic Church in the management of many of the government-sponsored residential schools for Indigenous children. These residential schools, which operated until the late 1990s, aimed to eradicate aspects of Indigenous culture, language, and religious practices. Former students have described mistreatment and even abuse at the residential schools. According to the Holy See, the meeting on Nov. 15 concludes \u201cthe path begun by Pope Francis through his Apostolic Journey to Canada in 2022, the various audiences with indigenous communities, and the publication of the Declaration on the Doctrine of Discovery in 2023.” That year, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development stated that the so-called \u201cDoctrine of Discovery,\u201d which European colonizers allegedly used to justify their actions against indigenous peoples, is not part of Catholic teaching. The Vatican agencies then specified that \u201cmany Christians have committed acts of evil against indigenous populations, for which recent popes have asked forgiveness on numerous occasions.\u201d This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Receive the most important news from EWTN Vatican via WhatsApp. It has become increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channel today EWTN Vatican on WhatsApp Andr\u00e9s Henr\u00edquez Would you like to receive the latest updates on the Pope and the Vatican Receive articles and updates from our EWTN Newsletter. More news related to this article Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit is \u2018essential\u2019 for unity in marriage Cardinal Goh of Singapore hopes Pope Francis\u2019 visit will \u2018spur a renewal\u2019 in the country Synod on Synodality: Who Will Be Writing the Crucial Summary Report of the Synod? Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church talks war, the pope, and same-sex blessings Pope Francis on Women Deacons: \u2018Holy Orders is Reserved for Men\u2019 Pope Leo XIV: Marriage \u2018not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman\u2019<\/p>\n