As apologies go, the one issued by Canada’s Catholic bishops to Indigenous peoples marks a significant step in this long, long reconciliation journey.

OTTAWA -- The future of the Catholic Church in Canada emerged as a main theme as Canada’s bishops gathered online for the second year in a row for a virtual plenary assembly Sept. 21-24.

Graydon Nicholas accepts the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ apology for more than a century of wrongs by Canadian Catholics in residential schools and hopes it will lead to a papal apology on Canadian soil.

OTTAWA -- Canada’s Catholic bishops have “unequivocally” apologized for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system and have raised the possibility of a visit by the Pope to Canada as part of the “healing journey” between Canada’s Indigenous peoples and the Church.

The Season of Creation, on Sept. 1 through to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi Oct. 4, has the wholehearted support of Canada’s bishops, said Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesperson Lisa Gall.

Canadian delegations of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican Dec. 17-20.

While the work toward a formal apology from Pope Francis is ongoing, a clear majority of Canadians hold the Catholic Church primarily responsible for the damage done by residential schools, according to a Leger poll conducted June 4- 6.

A meeting between Pope Francis and a delegation of Canadian Indigenous people at the Vatican is being planned and expected before the end of the year.

With the legislation already forwarded to the Senate for study and third reading in the House of Commons expected within days, Canada’s bishops and religious orders have come out strongly in support of Bill C-15, a law that would implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Canada’s bishops are calling on Catholics to continue to push back against the “culture of death” even as efforts to block the expansion of euthanasia in Canada have so far failed.

Canada’s Catholic bishops have issued a forceful condemnation of the country’s new assisted suicide law, saying the possible pressures it will place on Canadians with mental illness or disabilities are “all too real, perilous and potentially destructive.”

The following is the Easter message from Archbishop Richard Gagnon, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and Archbishop of Winnipeg:

The three-year investigation into Development and Peace partners by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and senior Development and Peace management is raising questions among Canada’s religious sisters and priests.

OTTAWA -- Canadian Catholics should get vaccinated against COVID-19 and they should take any vaccine that has been approved for use in Canada, Canada’s bishops said in a clarifying statement that came just days after initial advice on vaccines caused a political firestorm.

The Canadian bishops' conference and its international development agency will discontinue funding for 24 partners following the completion of a joint subcommittee’s review of international partner organizations that receive funding from Canadian Catholics.