Trendpills
The Vatican has formally returned 62 cultural artifacts to Indigenous peoples in Canada, a significant act of restitution as the Catholic Church continues its reckoning with its role in the country's colonial history. On November 15, 2025, Pope Leo XIV gifted the items to a delegation from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), which has committed to repatriating them to their original First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities.
This transfer is a tangible step in the Catholic Church's reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples. The items, which had been held in the Vatican Museums for a century, were originally sent to Rome for a 1925 missionary exhibition and never returned. Their restitution follows Pope Francis's historic 2022 apology for the Church's role in Canada's residential school system, a government-funded program that forcibly assimilated Indigenous children and suppressed their languages and cultures.
The collection includes a variety of culturally significant objects, among them a century-old Inuvialuit kayak used for whale hunting. These artifacts represent a direct link to the heritage and traditions of the communities from which they were taken. The CCCB, in a joint statement with the Vatican, stated the Pope’s desire for the gift to represent a “concrete sign” of the Church’s ongoing dialogue and healing journey with Indigenous peoples.
While the formal handover to the bishops has occurred, the physical return of the artifacts to Canada is scheduled for December 6. This move has been hailed as a crucial step in decolonizing museum collections and acknowledging the rights of Indigenous communities to their own cultural heritage. The decision marks one of the most significant restitutions of Indigenous artifacts by the Vatican to date, following years of requests from First Nations leaders and advocates. The process underscores a broader global conversation about the repatriation of cultural objects held in Western institutions.
