Canadian authorities are investigating the burning of two Catholic Churches located in separate First Nations reserves.
The Sacred Heart Church, located on Penticton Indian Band lands, and the St. Gregory’s Church, on the territory of the Osoyoos Indian Band, burned down on Monday night. The two churches, which are both more than a century old, are located about 40 km, or roughly 25 miles, apart.
Police are regarding the fires, which coincided with Indigenous Peoples’ Day and an outpour of anger from indigenous communities after the discovery of the remains of 215 indigenous children buried at a residential school, as suspicious.
“Should our investigation deem these fires as arson, the RCMP will be looking at all possible motives and allow the facts and evidence to direct our investigative action,” said Penticton South Okanagan Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Jason Bayda.
The chief of the volunteer fire department that extinguished one of the fires stated, “We believe by looking at the scene and the surroundings that there was a liquid accelerant used … Early indications are that it was set.”
REMAINS OF 215 CHILDREN DISCOVERED AT DEFUNCT SCHOOL FOR FIRST NATIONS STUDENTS IN CANADA
The Penticton Indian Band released a statement, saying, “We, along with the Osoyoos Indian Band … are in disbelief and anger over these occurrences as these places of worship provided service to members who sought comfort and solace in the church … Please do not approach our Indigenous members and ask how we feel about it. This is a fresh wound that needs time to heal and contextualize our feelings as we will support the investigative efforts.”
The burning of the two Catholic churches follows an announcement from authorities last month about the discovery of the remains of 215 children outside a former residential school near the town of Kamloops. The ages of the victims vary, and the causes of death are unknown. The school was run by the Catholic Church.
Between 1883 and 1996, Canada attempted to assimilate their indigenous population by sending their children to Christian residential schools. The schools forbade the children from speaking their native languages and engaging with their culture or religion, teaching them the English language, Western culture, and the Christian religion. Widespread abuse was reported in these schools.
The indigenous community of Canada called upon the Catholic Church to apologize for its role in the residential school system, with some going a step further and demanding reparations to indigenous communities. The Ottowa Archbishop apologized for the Church’s involvement, while Pope Francis expressed sorrow but stopped short of an apology.
I join the Canadian Bishops and the whole Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my closeness to the Canadian people, who have been traumatised by shocking discovery of the remains of two hundred and fifteen children, pupils at the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 6, 2021
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Local Catholic parishes have reached out to the indigenous community to mend relations. Father Obi Ibekwe, the head of several parishes surrounding the burned churches, met with several tribal chiefs on June 11 after a vigil for the 215 discovered children.
