“The opposite of Love is not Hate; it is Indifference. The opposite of Life is not Death; it is Indifference.” –Pope Francis

I watched a recording of the ceremony, Pope Francis in Alberta, apologizing to the Indigenous People for the systematic abuses of the Catholic Church in the Residential Schools system.

It was beautiful. It was meaningful. It was cathartic.

It was probably the most valuable thing I did today – sitting in front of the TV, viscerally experiencing transformation.

The language was couched in the language of a pilgrimage, a journey. It began, in one sense, months ago with the delivery of a pair of shoes – moccasins – that were to find their way back. On their return, there was the headdress – a war bonnet – that marked the first steps of a new journey to be walked together.

As a child in Catholic schools, this is what I perceived as the essence and the value of the faith. It wasn’t adherence to any dogma – arguably a cause of such problems – but rather seeing clearly the beauty of a spiritual journey, incorporating the ideas and symbols of the era and using them to transform ourselves and our situations, to free ourselves – at least from our non-corporeal suffering – and to take our first step as a new person, body the same, but essence transformed, even until our last breaths.

I never sensed that the Catholic Church as a whole was a mark of the enlightened soul, but it seemed that it at least provided the framework – a path and teachings – to help. I also think I was fortunate to have encountered some members who understood and who could express it. I think the Catholic Church may be fortunate to have such an individual as its lead.

Who knows?