Indigenous Leaders Urge New Pope to Return Sacred Artifacts

Indigenous leaders across Canada are calling on Pope Leo to fulfill his predecessor’s promise to return thousands of sacred artifacts housed in Vatican museums and storage vaults.

The collection includes ceremonial objects dating back centuries, from an Inuvialuit sealskin kayak to embroidered Cree gloves and a 200-year-old wampum belt. Critics say these items were taken as “trophies” by Catholic missionaries during a dark chapter of cultural suppression.

The artifacts were gathered in 1923 under Pope Pius XI, who called on missionaries worldwide to send Indigenous objects to Rome for a major exhibition. This collection drive coincided with Canada’s residential school system, where Indigenous children were forcibly separated from their families and forbidden to practice their culture.

The push for repatriation gained momentum in 2022 when Indigenous delegates visited Rome for discussions about residential school abuses with Pope Francis. During a tour of Vatican collections, they were shocked to see their ancestors’ belongings stored thousands of miles from home.

Following that visit and his subsequent apology tour of Canada, Pope Francis promised to return the relics. However, nearly all items remain in Vatican custody, with only a wampum belt briefly loaned to Montreal for 51 days in 2023.