Eel River Bar First Nation delegate to travel to Vatican City to meet Pope Francis
Rosalie LaBillois will travel with 29 Elders, knowledge keepers, residential school survivors
A New Brunswick First Nation woman will be part of a historic meeting set to take place between a 30-person Indigenous delegation and Pope Francis in Vatican City.
Rosalie LaBillois, of Eel River Bar First Nation, will travel with Elders, knowledge keepers, residential school survivors and youth to meet the Pope at the end of the month.
Delegates were chosen by the organizations representing Inuit, Métis and First Nations — the Assembly of First Nations, Métis National Council and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
WATCH / Delegate speaks about heading to the Vatican to seek an apology from the pope
The delegation will seek a formal apology from the Roman Catholic Church for its role in running residential schools.
In the history of the institution, a formal apology has never been issued.
LaBillois said the delegation wants to convey to Pope Francis the reality of the pain that residential school survivors still carry with them.
"We want the Vatican to understand that these stories are true and...the Roman Catholic Church, all that they embody, had a really big part to play in that and that has to be acknowledged," said LaBillois.
"That truth is still being uncovered across the country. Many of these former residential school sites, they're still finding the remains of of children that have attended those schools. There's still records that are being held by the churches that are being held by their government...those are truths and they have to be released."
LaBillois's grandfather was also a survivor of Shubenacadie Indian Residential School in Nova Scotia.
That carries profound weight for her as she considers what needs to be accomplished during this meeting.
"It wasn't an easy decision to come to," said LaBillois, who is also co-chair of the Assembly of First Nations National Youth Council.
"I had to recognize that this does take you away from another survivor's story in that sense...but instead of seeing myself as like an impostor, I had to see that and acknowledge my own lived experiences and of my family."
Planning for the meeting at Vatican City has taken a number of years and LaBillois was selected to be part of the delegation last fall.
"When this was brought to the executive table, we really pushed for having a youth delegate and seeing the importance of not wanting to take space from other survivors, but really wanting to advocate for our realities," said LaBillois.
"As intergenerational survivors our reality is real. We may not have gone through that direct system, but we understand the impacts and the effects and we feel that in our everyday lives."
In 2019, LaBillois spoke about doing more to prevent the national issue of youth suicide during a special assembly of chiefs from across Canada.
"I just think of our young people and I think about that opportunity that I get to share at the Vatican and just really speaking from the heart and to acknowledge that we never had to change who we are today. We no longer have to be ashamed of being proud of being an Indigenous person, of our ancestral homelands. Like, there's so much power in that."
LaBillois believes tangible progress can be made in the wake of a formal apology and that it would have significant meaning for some survivors.
"What does that look like for Canadians? And, for myself, New Brunswickers? This is huge and it's a historical event and this is certainly a part that could be that pivotal change that we're all hoping for."
Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the reports.
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.
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