1. How did the preparations for the Popes visit make visible for Emily Riddle who is deemed important and valuable, and who isnt?

Kelsi: I want to start by discussing the intent behind the apology. The Pope's apology to residential school Survivors, their families, and communities is \#58 of the TRC Calls to Action. Why do you think Survivors made this a Call to Action? Why is it important? Emily Riddle: I think the reason why apologies are important mostly stems from our cultures. For us, in our Cree culture, apologies and words are really powerful. That comes from the power that stems from our language, too, and how sounds reverberate in the universe, which itself, we believe, is made of sound. Apologies are also really powerful to speak into the universe because they communicate intentions. While I think that there's a lot of criticism of apologies being meaningless, there is a cultural importance of apology, as well as active witnessing. With all of this in mind, do you feel like the intent and importance behind the apology was sufficiently expressed by the Pope? I feel like we have to separate the Pope from the structure of the Catholic Church to an extent. I think for the Pope, it was a genuine apology. When he was on the plane back to Italy, reporters asked him why he didn't include the word "genocide" in his apology, and he said, "Oh, certainly it was a genocide." I know this trip was not viewed favourably within the Church. It was something that this specific Pope really pushed for. And while the actual apology itself was powerful, it was limited, too. For one thing, he implies there were a few bad apples in the Catholic Church that made this system bad. He repeats this sentiment in Lac Ste. Anne: Christian charity was not absent, although a few people misbehaved. So I think the Pope did feel his apology, individually, but I don't think that the church understands how they're part of this system of dispossession. This system has resulted in the continued removal of children, poverty, and us being alienated from our territories. And a part of this larger system of colonialism that the Catholic Church obviously still plays a role in is seen with doctrines and Papal bulls. I don't think that the apology addresses that. The Church has committed to a report and an investigation, but I don't see a commitment to try to tear down the system they helped build or to give us some of their money or land they continue to own. I say that because we've already seen the Canadian branch of the Catholic Church failing to pay the $25 million it already owes to residential school Survivors, instead raising less than \$4 million dollars. Can't the Vatican implore their Canadian arm to actually pay those funds? It is all in very bad taste. People think that Indigenous people are into settlements or money all the time, too. But for us, money is a part of a protocol. Gifting is very important; it's about the relationship and the cultural protocol of making an offering. Despite the limitations, do you think the Call to Action can be considered complete? The apology required a lot of advocacy by Indigenous folks over a number of years. I really respect the people who worked to bring the Pope here, such as Chief Wilton Littlechild and other community members. A lot of people expressed disagreement with the Pope's visit, but it was an intentional invitation by Indigenous community members and leaders. The fact that the Pope did come and make an apology does deserve some credit, at least for those who fought for it. But I know you mentioned that Yellowhead is not including Call to Action 58 as fully complete. were downtown that week to remove largely houseless Indigenous folks who are Survivors or intergenerational Survivors of residential school from downtown. It opened lots of wounds for people. People were already hurting in downtown Edmonton with the Kenney government and now the Smith government's complete removal of harm reduction resources. The Treaty Six Confederacy officially requested resources for mental health following the trip, and that was ignored. In Lac Ste. Anne, tens of thousands of people were invited, which created concern and discussion among community members about historical unmarked graves being walked upon and disrespected during the Pope's visit. There was also an erasure of Lac Ste. Anne as a culturally significant place prior to the Catholic Church. So there were physical alterations of space, sanitizations of the communities, as well as an erasure of the histories. To me, these alterations to make the space accessible for the Pope does kind of communicate who is deemed important and valuable. How do you think Call to Action 58 , or all the Calls generally, should have been approached to centre the dignity of Survivors, their families and communities, and the restoration of Indigenous worlds? It should have been Indigenous-led. So the federal government, the Catholic Church, the United Nations, or whoever it may be, should have given Indigenous nations the funds to inform and host the Pope on our own terms. A lot of power was given over to the Catholic Church to dictate what the visit was going to look like to Treaty Six and to other places as well. This applies to other Calls: they should be Indigenousled and resourced properly so that Indigenous people have the time to shape these Calls to Action. This is difficult since we are recovering from genocide and are often left reacting to ongoing oppression. We have the community expertise and our own distinct worldviews that must be honoured in any implementation of reconciliation. EMILY RIDDLE (NEHIYAW, ALEXANDER FIRST NATION, TREATY SIX TERRITORY) grew up in and is currently based in Edmonton. She has experience working with First Nations and Mtis communities on policy, governance, and communications projects. Prior to her current role, she worked for the First Nations Education Steering Committee, a non-profit that represents over 100 First Nations. She is currently the Senior Advisor, Indigenous Relations for the Edmonton Public Library, and was named Top 30 Under 30 by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation in 2019. Her writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, Teen Vogue, Vice, and other publications. KELSI-LEIGH BALABAN (MTIS AND SETTLER, TREATY SIX TERRITORY) Her family is from Lac La Biche and she grew up near Edmonton. Kelsi is the Community Engagement Specialist at Yellowhead Institute. She is passionate about Indigenous governance revitalization efforts and has been involved in youth organizing in Edmonton as well as active in harm reduction initiatives. Kelsi has a BA in Psychology and Native Studies and a certificate in Indigenous Governance \& Partnership from the University of Alberta, and an MA in Political Science from the University of Toronto. Apologies are also really powerful to speak into the universe because they communicate intentions. While I think that there's a lot of criticism of apologies being meaningless, there is a cultural importance of apology, as well as active witnessing. Our reluctance to name this Call complete is because of strict methodology. It should have occurred within a year of the TRC report's release. And that was an intentional demand. Making the apology within a certain timeframe meant securing attention towards it, to carry that apology meaningfully. The Irish victims of abuse apology was included as an example in the Call to Action outlining what the apology should sound like. That apology acknowledged the Church's culpability as a whole, as an institution, whereas in this one, the Pope strategically avoided saying that. As you said, there was also the part about "a few bad apples," and "we're sorry some Christians, contributed to this harm" when, really, the beliefs that guided the residential school system were also beliefs that guided colonization as a whole. I think these are reasons the apology did not live up to the call laid out by Survivors. However, although it may not be complete as a Call to Action, that doesn't negate its meaningfulness to some. Yeah, that makes sense to me. Folks had to go to the Vatican and implore him to come and apologize. So, in that sense, is it really an apology if you have to ask for it? Is it really an apology if you're not offering it willingly? I think that emptiness of the relationship was felt in the territory. There was so much media coverage, global attention, and anticipation for the visits. And along with that we saw the roads of Maskwacis being paved hastily in preparation. In Edmonton, houseless community members were displaced to make space for the Pope's presence. As someone who belongs to Treaty Six, can you speak to these acts of preparation that generally altered our communities and our presence? The work done by mostly Indigenous communities to prepare for his arrival was really intense, starting with the financial resources we committed. We saw the roads being paved in Maskwacis, the whole town site, wherever the Pope would drive - the highway from Edmonton to Maskwacis got redone. There was also a mass at the Commonwealth Stadium. I was really hopeful that it would be taken as an opportunity to educate people on their church's participation in this but it was only mentioned in passing. It was just an opportunity for Canadian Christians to have another mass. Then the Pope visited Sacred Heart, which is a church in inner-city Edmonton. That brought a lot more policing: Secret Service-like officers Yellowhead Institute 35