“I invite His Holiness and the Catholic Church to work with the National Congress of American Indians to open all records related to Federal Indian boarding schools so that someday soon American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian peoples may host an apostolic - and maybe even apologetic - journey to our tribal lands here in the United States,” Sharp said in the letter on Monday.
Sharp pointed out he is encouraged by the Pope's visit to Canada to issue an apology on behalf of the Catholic Church for its role in the cultural genocide caused by Canada's residential school system. This marks the beginning of a new chapter for truth and reconciliation, he said.
Sharp emphasized that the Catholic Church is withholding records about federal US Indian boarding schools that can help reveal truths.
The opportunity to hold abusers accountable or to reconcile with the Catholic Church is only possible through cooperation, he said.
In May, the US Department of the Interior revealed findings from an investigation that found that the United States had 408 federal Indian boarding schools and that more than 500 Native American children died in 19 of those institutions. The Interior Department expects the number of deaths to increase as the probe continues.