On a visit to Canada, the pontiff, 85, used his own vulnerability to demand dignity and respect for older people in a world increasingly populated by them.
Francis, responding to longtime pleas from Indigenous people, begged forgiveness for schools where children were forced to assimilate, many were sexually or physically abused and some died.
Pope Francis will travel to an Indigenous community in Canada to apologize for the church’s role in residential schools that tried to erase Indigenous culture, and where thousands of children died.
Benedict’s exit changed expectations that the papacy would always be a lifetime assignment, fueling speculation the current pope has tried to push away.
David Kertzer has spent decades excavating the Vatican’s hidden history, with his work winning a Pulitzer and capturing Hollywood’s attention. A new book examines Pope Pius XII’s role in the Holocaust.