Photo credit: National Catholic Reporter
The Vatican should soon announce that it will return a few dozen artifacts to Indigenous communities in Canada as part of its reconciliation for the Catholic Church’s role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas.
The Canadian Press reports that the items are part of the Vatican Museum’s ethnographic collection, known as the Anima Mundi museum. The collection has been a source of controversy for the Vatican amid broader museum debate over the restitution of cultural goods taken from Indigenous peoples during colonial periods.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said on Wednesday that it has been working with Indigenous groups on returning the items to their “originating communities.” It said it expected the Holy See to announce the return.
Vatican and Canadian officials said they expected an announcement in the coming weeks, and that the items could arrive on Canadian soil before the end of the year.
