Artifacts of Canada's indigenous peoples returned by Vatican after a century: 'A sign of dialogue and respect'
Pope Leo XIV receives in a private audience the representatives of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Canada, in the Vatican, Italy, on November 15, 2025. Photo: IPA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts belonging to Canada's indigenous peoples to the country's Catholic Bishops' Conference, a gesture described in a statement as “a concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity,” Reuters reports.
Pope Leo handed the items to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops after a meeting with its representatives, including its president, Bishop Pierre Goudreault.
“The Canadian Bishops' Conference will proceed, as soon as possible, to transfer these artifacts to the National Indigenous Organizations (NIOs). They will then ensure the return of the artifacts to their communities of origin,” the Canadian bishops said.
The objects were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries in the context of an exhibition organized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, at which more than 100,000 objects were presented. Almost half of these later constituted the nucleus of a Missionary Ethnological Museum, transferred in the 70s to the collection of the Vatican Museums.
In 2022, Pope Francis – who has since died – issued an apology to Indigenous peoples in Canada ahead of his visit to the country for the role of the Catholic Church in residential schools where many children were abused and buried in unmarked graves.
The repatriation of indigenous artifacts housed in the Vatican Museums has also been part of discussions between the Church and indigenous leaders.
Anita Anand, Canada's foreign minister, welcomed the Vatican's decision.
“This is an important step that honors the rich cultural heritage of indigenous peoples and supports the ongoing efforts for truth, justice and reconciliation,” she wrote on X.
