Catholic Church to return dozens of Indigenous artifacts to Canada after century at the Vatican

Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from Nicole Winfield at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article.

The Vatican is expected to announce the return of a few dozen cultural artifacts, including an Inuit kayak, to Indigenous communities in Canada as part of the Catholic Church’s reckoning with its role in suppressing Indigenous culture through the residential school system.

Some key facts:**

• The items are part of the Vatican Museum’s ethnographic Anima Mundi collection and include an Inuit kayak, wampum belts, war clubs and masks.

• Negotiations accelerated after Pope Francis met with Indigenous leaders in 2022 and received their request for the objects’ return during his apology for the church’s role in Canada’s residential schools.

• Most items were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries for a 1925 Holy Year exhibition in the Vatican gardens.

• The Vatican claims the items were “gifts” to Pope Pius XI, but historians and Indigenous groups question whether they could have been freely given due to power imbalances during the colonial period.

• The return will follow a “church-to-church” model, with items given to the Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops who will pass them to Indigenous communities.

• The artifacts will first be taken to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, where experts will work to identify their specific communities of origin.

• The Vatican aims to complete the return before the end of 2025, marking the centenary of the controversial 1925 exhibition.

• National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak emphasized that these items are “living, sacred pieces” of culture and ceremonies, not merely artifacts.

READ MORE: Vatican will return dozens of artifacts to Indigenous groups in Canada as part of reconciliation