Victoria bishop apologizes for church's 'complicity' in B.C. residential schools after graves discovered

Victoria -

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria apologized Tuesday, one day after revelations came to light that more than 160 unmarked graves had been discovered near a former Indigenous residential school once run by the church.

The Penelakut Tribe confirmed the discovery of more than 160 "undocumented and unmarked graves” on Penelakut Island, formerly Kuper Island, near Chemainus, B.C., in a notice circulated Monday.

The small island was home to the Kuper Island School from 1890 until 1975. The Catholic diocese in Victoria operated the school, along with the Sisters of St. Ann, from 1891 until 1907, according to Bishop Gary Gordon.

“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria grieves for the victims of the Kuper Island Residential School, and apologizes for its role in the operation of residential schools,” Gordon said in a statement Tuesday.

“Our hearts go out in sadness for the little ones who were torn from their families and never returned home,” the bishop added.

Other Catholic organizations, including the Missionaries of the Company of Mary and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate operated the Kuper Island school from 1907 until 1969, when its operation was taken over by the federal government.

“On behalf of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria, I apologize for the harm caused due to our complicity involved in the operations of the residential schools,” Gordon said.

“I am committed to the process of healing, reconciliation, and education regarding this tragic history,” he added. “We now listen with humility and respect, as the direction to go and the steps to be taken in response to these disclosures must lie in the hands of the communities and Indigenous people most affected."

The diocese also operated the Christie Roman Catholic school on Meares Island, northeast of Tofino. The diocese’s archival records related to both schools were forwarded to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Gordon said.

Earlier Tuesday, B.C. Premier John Horgan called the discovery of the remains on Penelakut Island a “tragedy,” and said the province would await the direction of the Penelakut Tribe and other Indigenous groups to get a better understanding of what can be done to help.

“It would be, I think, premature to do anything other than to await the direction of the communities that are going through not just the grieving of the revelations of these discoveries but generational trauma,” Horgan said.

Kuper Island School survivor Eddy Charlie told CTV News he was shocked but not surprised to learn of the remains Monday.

"It really shocked me to hear the number, 160, at Kuper Island because they had already found a number of students at that school in the past," Charlie said. "I thought that would be it, and then they found 160, and I was just utterly shocked.”

If you are a former residential school student in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419, or the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line at 1-800-721-0066.

Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.