Pope says genocide took place at Church schools in Canada for indigenous children

FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after visiting Canada, July 29, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Francis said on Saturday that what happened at residential schools that the Roman Catholic and other Christian Churches ran to forcefully assimilate Canada's indigenous children was genocide.

The pope made the comment while flying back to Rome after a week-long trip to Canada, where he delivered a historic apology for the Church's role in the policy.