Evening Brief: Indigenous leaders to meet with Pope By iPolitics. Published on Jun 29, 2021 6:21pm Pope Francis (Wikimedia Commons photo) Today’s Evening Brief is brought to you by News Media Canada. It’s time to level the digital playing field. Google and Facebook are using their monopoly to threaten and undermine local news. Other countries are taking action. It’s time for Canada to stand up to the web giants – and step up for local news. Learn more. Good evening to you. With a goal of pushing for an apology from Pope Francis for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools, national Indigenous leaders are set to meet with him at the Vatican in December. As CBC News reports, delegations of First Nations, Métis and Inuit will meet with him separately between Dec. 17 and Dec. 20, and then collectively on Dec. 20. “I’m hoping I can hear from the Pope that he understands the pain,” said David Chartrand, vice president of the Métis National Council. “We want him to come to our lands. It will mean so much to us that he comes here and expresses his statement.”