Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has presented sixty two indigenous artefacts from the Vatican Museums to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, offering them as a gesture of respect, dialogue and ongoing commitment to healing with Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

Pope welcomed Bishop Pierre Goudreault, president of the Canadian bishops, along with Archbishop Richard Smith and Fr Jean Vézina, for a meeting in the Apostolic Palace on Saturday morning. During the audience, he formally entrusted the artefacts to the Canadian Church.

The gift follows the path opened by the late Pope Francis during his 2022 visit to Canada, his meetings with Indigenous communities and the 2023 Declaration on the Doctrine of Discovery. Pope Leo XIV expressed his hope that the transfer of these objects would stan

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