PM’s visit with Pope focuses on Ukraine, not residential schools

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VATICAN CITY, Italy – Prime Minister Stephen Harper lifted a discouraging commentary of a residential schools elect Thursday during an scarcely brief assembly with Pope Francis, though stopped brief of mouth-watering him to Canada to apologize.

Instead, Harper referred to a minute sent progressing in a week to a Vatican by his aboriginal affairs apportion that merely told a Holy See of a commission.

“Prime Minister Harper also drew courtesy to a minute sent by Minister (Bernard) Valcourt to a Holy See per a Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” Harper’s bureau pronounced though elaborating.

Harper’s orator did not respond to a ask for clarification.

Harper’s 10-minute assembly with a Pope Francis was surprisingly brief by Vatican standards. Russian President Vladimir Putin had a scarcely 50-minute private assembly with a pontiff a day earlier.

A apart readout from a Vatican did not discuss a residential schools emanate among a topics discussed with Harper.

Harper instead select to pursue a thesis that has dominated six-day outing to Europe — his defamation of Putin.

Harper went into a assembly confronting calls to use a arise to secure a pope reparation for a church’s purpose in Canada’s residential propagandize legacy.

Perry Bellegarde, a inhabitant arch of a Assembly of First Nations, had pronounced a assembly would be a “prime opportunity” for a primary apportion to lift a issue.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, that spoke to thousands of residential propagandize students and documented their experiences, released 94 recommendations final week that enclosed a call for a pope reparation on Canadian soil.

Bellegarde pronounced a directly reparation from a Pope “would be huge” and would assistance move closure to those who suffered atrocities and abuses during a schools, many of that were run by a Roman Catholic Church.

In Apr 2009, then-AFN inhabitant arch Phil Fontaine along with 4 aboriginal leaders and a commission from Canada’s Catholic Church had an assembly with Pope Benedict in Rome, that constructed a communique of magnetism from a Vatican.

Harper’s revisit to a Vatican came on a final day of his six-country European tour, and accurately 7 years after a primary apportion released his possess reparation in a House of Commons to residential propagandize survivors.

Canadian officials pronounced that given Putin visited Francis a day before Harper, a primary apportion wanted to lift a topic.

“Prime Minister Harper addressed a conditions in Ukraine and his low regard with Vladimir Putin’s aggression, function and assault in Ukraine,” pronounced Harper’s office. Harper also lifted a predicament of eremite minorities during a hands of Islamic militants.

The U.S. called on a to Vatican this week to step adult a regard about Ukraine in Francis’ assembly with Putin. It was a Russian leader’s second assembly with Francis given 2013.

A Vatican orator pronounced a Ukraine and Middle East crises were large topics of discussion, though a doubt of assigning censure to Russia did not arise.

Harper was during a Vatican for somewhat reduction than an hour, though his tangible assembly with a Pope lasted usually a fragment of that time. He also met with Archbishop Paul Gallagher, a Vatican’s secretary for family with states.

Harper was accompanied by his wife, Laureen, Defence Minister Jason Kenney, 3 Conservative MPs and several staffers. Julian Fantino, Harper’s associate counterclaim apportion and an Italian Canadian, was also during a meeting.

Harper was manifest to reporters usually quickly on 3 occasions when short, mad print ops took place. The primary apportion did not pronounce nor did he take questions from Canadian media travelling with them on a final day of his travel

Harper finished his outing with a call to Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has a most closer attribute with Putin than Harper, who has removed him.

Renzi also hosted Putin, as they politely toured a Russian pavilion during a world’s fair. Putin breached custom by nearing an hour and 20 mins late for his assembly with a Pope, who speedy him to make “sincere” efforts to move assent to Ukraine.

Harper visited Ukraine and Poland on this trip, as good as attending a G7 leaders limit in Germany, and was to lapse to Canada on Thursday evening.

— with files from Kristy Kirkup in Ottawa

PM’s visit with Pope focuses on Ukraine, not residential schools