The pope wraps up Canada apology tour

Pope Francis on Thursday visited two of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in North America as he winds up a trip to Canada centered on his apology for the Catholic Church's role in the country's notorious residential schools.

More than 150,000 Indigenous children were separated from their families and brought to residential schools. They were starved or beaten for speaking their native languages and sexually abused in a system that Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission called "cultural genocide."

Pope Francis receives a headdress from Indigenous people during his visit to Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, July 25, 2022.

The pope said the Church was "admitting our faults" and wanted to join civil authorities "to promote the legitimate rights of the native populations and to favor processes of healing and reconciliation" between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.

Pope Francis waves from a car as he leaves after a meeting with Indigenous peoples and members of the Parish Community of Sacred Heart in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 25, 2022.

Pope Francis greets the faithful before presiding over a mass at the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, one of the oldest and most popular pilgrimage sites in North America, in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Quebec, Canada, July 28, 2022.

A woman holds an Assembly of First Nations flag during a mass presided over by Pope Francis at the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, one of the oldest and most popular pilgrimage sites in North America, in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Quebec, Canada, July 28, 2022.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as Pope Francis is welcomed after arriving at Edmonton International Airport, near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 24, 2022.

Pope Francis is welcomed after arriving at Edmonton International Airport, near Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 24, 2022.

Pope Francis kisses a baby named Mateo, as he arrives to preside a mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis kisses a baby named Mateo, as he arrives to preside a mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

A woman sings Canada's national anthem in the Cree language during a visit by Pope Francis, who apologized to Canada's native people on their land for the Church's role in schools where Indigenous children were abused, in Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, July 25, 2022.

A woman reacts as she listens to a mass presided over by Pope Francis at the Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, one of the oldest and most popular pilgrimage sites in North America, in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, Quebec, Canada July 28, 2022.

Pope Francis attends a silent prayer at the cemetery during his meeting with First Nations, Metis and Inuit indigenous communities in Maskwacis, Alberta, Canada, July 25, 2022.

People watch as Pope Francis arrives to preside a mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis presides a mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Nancy Saddleman, 82, who spent 14 years at Kamloops Indian residential school from 1945-59, since she was 5 years old, cries while attending a mass presided by Pope Francis at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

People from Songhees First Nation Indigenous community attend a mass presided by Pope Francis at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

People attend a mass presided by Pope Francis at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis arrives to attend the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis arrives to attend the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis blesses pilgrims who are attending the pilgrimage to Lac Ste Anne, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis attends the Liturgy of the Word during the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada July 26, 2022.

A woman reacts as Pope Francis attends the Liturgy of the Word during the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Marie Madeline-Spence from Nelson House, Manitoba, 76, holds up a cellphone as Pope Francis attends the Liturgy of the Word during the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis attends the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.

Pope Francis prays at the lake, as he attends the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage, an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year, at Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, Canada, July 26, 2022.