In Canada, Pope Francis asked on Monday "forgiveness" "for the evil that so many Christians committed against indigenous peoples" in the boarding schools that existed in the North American country until as late as the 1990s.

He also regretted the "colonialist mentality" of members of the Church that led to a destruction of the natives’ culture.

Before some 2,000 representatives of various tribes, the Pope said: "I ask forgiveness for the way in which, unfortunately, many Christians adopted the colonialist mentality of the powers that oppressed the indigenous peoples; I am hurt".

The Pope spoke at the site where one of these schools were located.

Those establishments were set up by the Canadian state, and through them some 150,000 native children were forcibly “westernized” after being separated from their parents.

Among indigenous leaders, the words were seen as "a sense of hope, a first step," as said the President of the Métis Nation of the State of Alberta, Audrey Poitras.

Listening to the Pontiff’s speech was also Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

In that context, Francis said the boarding schools system was a “nefarious policy”, that left a death toll estimated in 4500.

Of the 139 schools, 50 were directly ran by the Catholic Church.