Far from the Vatican, where Pope Benedict apologized Wednesday for the physical and sexual abuse suffered by generations of First Nations at Catholic-run residential schools, British Columbia's native communities were watching and remembering.
Charles Chapman of the Sto:lo Nation was only six-years-old when he was taken from his home near Hope and sent to a residential school.
The 61-year-old spent the next 11 years at two such schools, eight years at Kuper Island Indian Residential School in the Gulf Islands and another three at St. Mary's Residential School near Mission.
Chapman says the punishments for doing something the school deemed wrong were severe, and have left him unable to express his feelings.
"The different forms of discipline were strappings on the hand, strappings on the behind, deprived of meals, [being] asked to stand in corners for a long time and soap put in your mouth if you were speaking your language," he said.
"I always remember [what they told us] at the residential school... if you want to cry you were asked to go to another room. You weren't allowed to show hurt feelings openly in front of other people."
He also remembers being told to go and run around a field until school officials told him to stop. He would often be running for hours.
Chapman says the Pope's announcement is a good start to the healing process but doesn't go far enough.
"I believe it's a step and I hope it's going to be the first step for the Catholic Church to come back to us and say 'okay, let's now deal with the harms and behaviors that happened at residential school and lets find a way to make amends and help the healing process of the people.'"
The Pope called the conduct at the residential schools "deplorable."
The Vatican said the pontiff expressed his sorrow and emphasized that "acts of abuse cannot be tolerated" when he met with representatives of native Canadians from across the country.
"Given the sufferings that some indigenous children experienced in the Canadian residential school system, the Holy Father expressed his sorrow at the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the church and he offered his sympathy and prayerful solidarity," a statement from the Vatican said.
Grand Chief Edward John of the Tlazten First Nations in B.C. was one of the representatives who met Pope Benedict on Wednesday.
"We heard the prime minister's apology a year ago in June. And today, to listen to the Holy Father explain his profound sorrow and sadness and to express that there was no room for this sort of abuse to take place in the residential schools, that is an emotional barrier that now has been lifted for many people," he told CTV.
