History of First Nations Vatican Repatriation
The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) has advocated for many years for the repatriation of First Nations artifacts from the Vatican Museums archive and other institutions within Canada and around the globe. In 2017, First Nations-in-Assembly passed Resolution 106/2017, Support for International Repatriation of Sacred Items. The Resolution directs the AFN to call upon the federal, provincial and territorial governments to acknowledge their moral and fiduciary responsibilities to assist First Nations in repatriation efforts and directs the AFN to advocate on behalf of First Nations to ensure that the issue of repatriation is addressed nationally and internationally.
Throughout its advocacy, the AFN wrote several times to the Vatican seeking progress on a Papal apology in accordance with Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #58 and met regularly with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Papal Nuncio office in Ottawa.
In the fall of 2019, the CCCB responded to AFN’s advocacy by proposing a delegation to the Holy See (Vatican) to meet with His Holiness Pope Francis. The First Nations delegation met with Pope Francis on March 31 and took part in an event with other Indigenous groups (Métis and Inuit) on April 1, 2022.
This ongoing work of reconciliation, which began in earnest under Pope Francis, continued under Pope Leo XIV since his election in May 2025. On December 6, 2025, and in celebration of the Jubilee of Hope declared by Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV returned 62 cultural artifacts for immediate transfer to Indigenous communities in Canada.
The return of these items was the wish of Pope Francis before his passing. It is a significant step in the process of reconciliation and addressing intergenerational trauma caused by the legacy of the residential school system.
The AFN will now work with the Canadian Museum of History to establish the provenance of each item and facilitate its return to community of origin. The communities of origin will determine whether their objects will be housed privately, shared publicly for research and education purposes, or a combination of both.
For additional information, please visit www.afn.ca.