Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

March 25, 2010

ROME: Aboriginal Elders Hold Pope Responsible for Residential School Abuse

AWitnesses to Murder in Catholic Indian schools to Protest at the Vatican, Testify before Italian Parliamentarians

By Hidden from History
Published at Censored News

 
Breaking News:

ROME ( Thursday, March 25, 2010) Aboriginal elders from Canada will offer prayers for their friends and relatives who died or were killed in Catholic Indian residential schools, at the institution in Rome responsible for their death. And they will name Pope Benedict, Joseph Ratzinger, as the one ultimately responsible.

Lillian Shirt of the Cree Nation and Charles Cook of the Anishinabe-Ojibway Nation will gather with Rev. Kevin Annett and other members of The Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared (FRD) and Italian supporters at a memorial service outside the Vatican in St. Peter's Square on Easter morning, Sunday April 4 at 11 am.

Both of the native elders survived incarceration in Catholic Indian schools in Canada, and witnessed the deaths of other students.

"Like Jesus, thousands of innocent children were crucified by religious fanatics in the Christian residential schools. We will help to resurrect them this Easter by naming what killed them, and holding their murderers responsible" stated the FRD delegation today.

"Pope Benedict is personally responsible for aiding and abetting pedophile priests, so this is not a crime that he can sweep under the rug or blame on others" stated delegation member Rev. Kevin Annett.

"As we asked the Pope in an unanswered letter two years ago, we want to know where his church buried the children who died at their hands, and have their remains surrendered for a proper burial. The buck stops with Joseph Ratzinger."

While in Rome, the FRD delegation will take their campaign to Italian politicians. On April 7, they will make a presentation to a human rights committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and ask them to endorse an international inquiry into genocide in Protestant and Catholic residential schools in Canada.

The FRD delegation will hold a press conference prior to these meetings, at 2 pm on Wednesday, April 7 outside the front entrance to the Italian Chamber of Deputies, at the Sala delle Colonne, Via Poli 19, in downtown Rome.

The FRD delegation will also speak at public meetings in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Turin, Genoa, and Florence. Their tour has been organized and endorsed by numerous Italian native solidarity groups - a complete list follows - with the support of the provincial government of Genoa.

For more information, contact the FRD through this email;
Elder Jeremiah Jourdain, convenor.
Further Information is below.

FRD International Media Advisory No. 2
.......................................................................................................
Itinerary and Other Information:

PROMOTERS, SUPPORTERS, ORGANIZERS

OF THE FRD TOUR IN ITALY

*(Note: political parties, groups and governments are listed for identification purposes only, and do not necessarily endorse all of the statements or positions of the FRD)
HUNKAPI (Genoa – Italy)
Cultural Association supporting Native Americans so that they can personally talk about their culture and history
Coordinator.
Supports, sponsors and partially finances the Delegation’s trip to Europe
It’s in charge for the event organized in Genoa, at the Provincial Government
KIWANI (Florence – Italy)
Cultural Association supporting Native Americans
Organizational and logistic support in Florence
It’s in charge for the meeting at the Baptist Church Headquarters in Florence
IL CERCHIO
Italian Network to support Native Americans
http://www.associazioneilcerchio.it/#gruppi
Organizational and logistic support in Rome
It’s in charge for some of the meetings to be held in Rome
NATIVI AMERICANI
Italian blog supporting Native American People
Organizational and logistic support in Florence
Main tool to spread information and communication on a national and international basis
MS. LARA CONGIU
Member of Hunkapi, she is connected to European Union Committee
Organizational and logistic support in Parma e Reggio Emilia
In charge for meetings to be held in Parma, Reggio Emilia and Turin
OTHER SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY OF GENOA
Main financial sponsor
Supporter
ITALIAN RADICAL PARTY
Organizational, logistic, financial support to the Italian tour
In charge for the meetings to be held at the Chamber of Deputies
MS. MARZIA
In charge for logistic support and lodging in Rome


DATES AND SCHEDULE
29th March
Kevin Annett, Lori o’Rorke, Lillian Shirt and Charles Cook arrive in Italy
30th March, Parma
Conference (schools)
31st March, Reggio Emilia
Conference (schools)
1st April, Turin - 09:00 p.m. (21,00)
Cafè Liber, Circolo Arci, Corso Vercelli 2.
Conference
2nd April Genoa - 04:30 p.m. (16,30)
Provincial Government of Genoa, Council Hall, Piazzale Mazzini 2.
Meeting & Conference with the Civil Authorities of the Provincial Government
3rd April, Florence - 04:00 p.m. (16,00)
Baptist Church Headquarters, Borgo Ognissanti 4.
Conference
4th April, Rome - 11:00 a.m. (11,00)
St. Peter's Square, outside the Vatican
Memorial Service
7th April, Rome - 02:30 p.m. (14,30)
Italian Chamber of Deputies, Sala delle Colonne, Via Poli 19
Unrepentant documentary: Conference & Debate will follow
8th April, Rome
Private meeting at the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
TO BE CONFIRMED
9th April, Rome
Kevin Annett will continue the European Tour with other Natives (names still to be communicated), Lori O’Rorke, Lillian Shirt and Charles Cooke will fly back to Canada

3 comments:

sandra beasley unenrolled cherokee african american white said...

wa'do brenda for telling it like it is! i pray that the trip taken by our brothers and sisters will be sucessful beyond their wildest dreams and prayers. it looks like the pope will have to step down for all the charges that he , his brother and all the other idiots of th cathloic church has done in the name of the great commssion , go into all the world and preach the good news of the gospel of jesus christ to the ends of the earth.not knowing all the hell we had to go through nearly losing our relgion our history our culture and our language becasue of the hell that is the cathloic church.and this has happend not only in Indian country but the motherland africa , and in Ireland too. you don't see ewtn reporting on this one. and I pray that no new pope will ever be elected ever! keep us posted on this important issue. and god bless you brenda and all those that are going on your trip to bolivia.

Anonymous said...

It is gratifying to see these crimes come full circle to enclose the perpetrators. How many centuries has the Catholic Church institutionalized the use of its followers and other cultures as bait for their pedophilia and sexual perversions? Finally, it is being unearthed, recognized for what it is. I pray that this arrogant, corrupt exclusionary bureaucracy collapses under its own bloated weight.

It will pave the way to a compassionate and balanced world

Anonymous said...

Amen. In 2001, while he was a cardinal, the pope issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church's interests ahead of child safety. The document recommended that rather than reporting sexual abuse to the relevant legal authorities, bishops should encourage the victim, witnesses and perpetrator not to talk about it. And, to keep victims quiet, it threatened that if they repeat the allegations they would be excommunicated.



The main problem here is that the roman catholic "church" is the only organization that has offered peverts of every stripe and pedophiles in particular a career, protection and access to children. Over time this has led to more and more perverts being attracted to the Church.



Acts4:12. "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”