Sunday, April 10, 2022

Today's News: "An opportunity to forgive"


I just saw this great photo from Brandi Morin's great piece last week in the Toronto Star, 
showing Dr. Wilton Littlechild celebrating in Rome after Pope Francis apologized for the residential schools. 
Morin writes:
I ran outside to the square after the apology, and the weight was suddenly lifted from my shoulders. The atmosphere had shifted. The sun had burst past the rain and the sounds of Indigenous songs echoing through the plaza reverberated in my heart synchronizing with every beat of the drums.
Dr. Wilton Littlechild, from my home territories in Treaty 6, Alberta, stood up from his walker and joined the dancing, grinning from ear to ear. It was his 78th birthday. 
He was taken to residential school at age six and endured all the atrocities of evil there. A former commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which called for this apology in 2015, he had personally heard the tormenting accounts of abuse from nearly 7,000 survivors across Canada.
He lived to see this day after decades of unrelenting advocating for Indigenous rights around the world and petitioning the Catholic Church for an apology. And it was a wondrous thing to see him celebrating.
This is the first step in reconciliation with the Catholic Church, but it’s an extraordinary step. Because now there is hope for healing, now reconciliation with the church can begin and healing within our communities. 
As Littlechild told me, “How do we move forward with reconciliation? Once you’ve had the apology you have an opportunity to forgive. I think that piece (was) still missing and that’s why our communities are still hurting. Then, with an apology, people will begin to feel a sense of healing. And once that happens a new emotion originates — a sense of justice. To say ‘Yes, wrong was done to me. I’m forgiving now and going to heal and I feel justice has been done.’ ”
Planning for the Pope's visit to Canada is already underway:
Moving to Europe, here's some good news: So many sad, sad stories today from the people whose families were killed by Russian soldiers in Bucha and other towns - the horror and the sorrow will never be forgotten. But here is a more encouraging story -- a thread from the Institute for the Study of War that Russia's combat readiness for Dondas likely isn't as strong as it would need to be: And tonight we see this news: An excellent thread on strategy from War Studies professor Mike Martin: Here's a fascinating thread that explains why some Russian people would still support Putin and the war he started: Finally, some lighter stuff, for the weekend:
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