Saskatoon Catholic church hit with graffiti following discovery of unmarked residential school graves
The same day Cowessess First Nation announced it had found 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in the community, a Catholic church in Saskatoon was hit by graffiti.
In late May, the steps in front St. Paul Co-Cathedral, located in the city's downtown, became the site of a spontaneous memorial after the unmarked graves of 215 children were found at a former residential school in Kamloops.
Photos shared on social media on Thursday show what appears to be red paint smeared on the steps in front of the church and red handprints on the door of the church.
"We were children" can be seen scrawled across the door using the same red paint.
The graffiti was mostly cleaned up by Friday morning, with only some paint visible on the ground.
Saskatoon Police Service said officers attended an incident at the church on Thursday, but after speaking to both church officials and protesters, no charges were laid.
While Canada's residential school system was government-funded, the Roman Catholic Church operated a majority of the schools.
Thursday's revelation led to renewed calls for Pope Francis to issue an apology for the Catholic church's role in running the schools.
If you are a residential school survivor in distress, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
Additional mental-health support and resources for Indigenous people are available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.