Vatican returns 62 items taken from Indigenous communities in Canada

The Vatican has handed back 62 Indigenous artefacts to Canada’s Catholic bishops, framing the move as “a concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity” after years of pressure from Indigenous communities seeking the return of cultural heritage removed under colonial rule.

The items were formally transferred on Saturday during a meeting at Vatican City between Pope Leo and representatives of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, including its president, Bishop Pierre Goudreault.

The bishops said they would pass the artefacts “as soon as possible” to Canada’s National Indigenous Organisations, which will then oversee their return to their communities of origin.

The objects were sent to Rome nearly a century ago for a vast 1925 Vatican exhibition curated by Pope Pius XI, who sou