Nunavut leadership weighs in on Pope’s visit and apology to Inuit – NNSL Media

A special emphasis was placed on the survivors themselves for the first brief Papal visit to Nunavut. Before Pope Francis made his public appearance in Iqaluit on July 29, he first met with a private audience of Inuit residential school survivors inside Nakasuk School. “This is for the survivors and this is their day,” said Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley, one of the volunteers for the Papal visit and a survivor of an Anglican residential school.

“It’s an odd experience because usually I’m a very private person but when (they) were signing people up the Creator said to me, ‘we’ll answer for this’ and I answered the call.”

Qitsualik-Tinsley was among the volunteers who were greeting other survivors at the Iqaluit Airport. She was also there for emotional and interpretation support.

Roughly 900 people stopped by to see Pope Francis for the public portion of his visit after, where Inuit drum dancers, throat singers and artists performed in front of Nakasuk School for the Pope.

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