Vatican Returns 62 Sacred Indigenous Artifacts After a Century in Its Museums

MONTREAL — More than 60 sacred artifacts taken from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities over a century ago arrived in Canada on Saturday, marking one of the most significant repatriations in the history of the Catholic Church’s relationship with Indigenous peoples.

Katisha Paul anad Peyal Laceese touch a crate containing Indigenous artifacts that have been returned from the Vatican ( Graham Hughes/AP)

Indigenous leaders stood on a snowy tarmac at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport as crates were lowered from an Air Canada jet, including a rare Inuvialuit sealskin kayak that was the final piece off the plane. The emotional homecoming, captured by CBC News, concluded a three-year campaign led by Indigenous communities and endorsed by Pope Francis shortly before his death.

“This is an important and emotional moment for many First Nations across the country,” said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. But she noted that the broader work of reconciliation “has a long way to go.”

A Collection Rooted in Colonial-Era Suppression

The 62 items represent only a fraction of the thousands of Indigenous artifacts held in the Vatican’s Anima Mundi ethnographic collection. Most were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries for the 1925 Vatican Mission Exposition, which drew millions of visitors and aimed to showcase the Church’s global reach.

The Vatican has long maintained the pieces were “gifts” to Pope Pius XI. Indigenous communities and historians dispute that claim, citing the power imbalances in mission settings and the context of early 20th-century assimilation policies. During that period, Canadian law banned Indigenous ceremonies, while residential schools—run largely by Catholic orders—sought to eradicate Indigenous identity, a system the Truth and Reconciliation Commission later called “cultural genocide.”

Cody Groat, an assistant professor of History and Indigenous Studies at Western University, said describing the items as “gifts” ignores the reality of that era. “It’s highly contestable that this was the meaningful ‘gifting’ of items,” he told CNN.

A Promise Fulfilled Across Two Papacies

Calls for repatriation gained momentum in 2022, when First Nations, Inuit, and Métis delegations traveled to Rome to meet Pope Francis and request the return of specific items they were shown, including wampum belts, war clubs, masks, and the Inuit kayak. Later that year, Francis made a penitential visit to Canada, where he apologized for the Church’s role in residential schools and indicated support for returning artifacts “where it’s necessary to make a gesture.”

The late pontiff pledged to facilitate the return, but the responsibility ultimately fell to his successor, Pope Leo XIV. Last month, the Vatican and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the artifacts and their documentation would be “gifted” back to Indigenous peoples, calling the gesture a “concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity.”

Groat noted that Leo’s action “sets the stage for renewed relationships between the Catholic Church and Indigenous peoples both in Canada and globally.”

What Happens Next

The artifacts will first be taken to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, where curators and Indigenous cultural experts will determine their precise origins and future homes.

“We are looking forward to unboxing the items in the coming days,” said Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. “Inuit leadership and Inuit experts will be able to understand exactly where these items come from in each of our communities and share that knowledge.”

For many Indigenous peoples, the return is not merely the transfer of objects but the return of “cultural ancestors with a sentience or life of their own,” Groat said.

The Canadian ambassador to the Holy See, Joyce Napier, called the repatriation “historic” and a long-standing priority for both the federal government and Indigenous communities. “Today’s announcement is a significant step towards reconciliation,” she said.

Part of a Broader Reckoning

The Vatican’s restitution comes as museums worldwide face pressure to return cultural goods acquired during colonial periods. It also follows the Church’s 2023 repudiation of the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the 15th-century papal teachings that European powers used to justify the seizure of Indigenous lands. While the Vatican did not formally rescind the original papal bulls, it acknowledged their role in centuries of abuses.

In its statement Saturday, the Vatican cited that repudiation and said the return of the artifacts concludes “the journey initiated by Pope Francis.”

The Canadian bishops emphasized that the items will ultimately belong to Indigenous communities themselves.

“These cultural ancestors are now able to rejoin our communities,” Indigenous leaders said, “and help with the continuity and revitalization of our cultural practices.”

Indigenous leaders stood on a snowy tarmac at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport as crates were lowered from an Air Canada jet, including a rare Inuvialuit sealskin kayak that was the final piece off the plane. The emotional homecoming, captured by CBC News, concluded a three-year campaign led by Indigenous communities and endorsed by Pope Francis shortly before his death.

“This is an important and emotional moment for many First Nations across the country,” said Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. But she noted that the broader work of reconciliation “has a long way to go.”

A Collection Rooted in Colonial-Era Suppression

The 62 items represent only a fraction of the thousands of Indigenous artifacts held in the Vatican’s Anima Mundi ethnographic collection. Most were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries for the 1925 Vatican Mission Exposition, which drew millions of visitors and aimed to showcase the Church’s global reach.

The Vatican has long maintained the pieces were “gifts” to Pope Pius XI. Indigenous communities and historians dispute that claim, citing the power imbalances in mission settings and the context of early 20th-century assimilation policies. During that period, Canadian law banned Indigenous ceremonies, while residential schools—run largely by Catholic orders—sought to eradicate Indigenous identity, a system the Truth and Reconciliation Commission later called “cultural genocide.”

Cody Groat, an assistant professor of History and Indigenous Studies at Western University, said describing the items as “gifts” ignores the reality of that era. “It’s highly contestable that this was the meaningful ‘gifting’ of items,” he told CNN.

A Promise Fulfilled Across Two Papacies

Calls for repatriation gained momentum in 2022, when First Nations, Inuit, and Métis delegations traveled to Rome to meet Pope Francis and request the return of specific items they were shown, including wampum belts, war clubs, masks, and the Inuit kayak. Later that year, Francis made a penitential visit to Canada, where he apologized for the Church’s role in residential schools and indicated support for returning artifacts “where it’s necessary to make a gesture.”

The late pontiff pledged to facilitate the return, but the responsibility ultimately fell to his successor, Pope Leo XIV. Last month, the Vatican and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the artifacts and their documentation would be “gifted” back to Indigenous peoples, calling the gesture a “concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity.”

Groat noted that Leo’s action “sets the stage for renewed relationships between the Catholic Church and Indigenous peoples both in Canada and globally.”

What Happens Next

The artifacts will first be taken to the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, where curators and Indigenous cultural experts will determine their precise origins and future homes.

“We are looking forward to unboxing the items in the coming days,” said Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. “Inuit leadership and Inuit experts will be able to understand exactly where these items come from in each of our communities and share that knowledge.”

For many Indigenous peoples, the return is not merely the transfer of objects but the return of “cultural ancestors with a sentience or life of their own,” Groat said.

The Canadian ambassador to the Holy See, Joyce Napier, called the repatriation “historic” and a long-standing priority for both the federal government and Indigenous communities. “Today’s announcement is a significant step towards reconciliation,” she said.

Part of a Broader Reckoning

The Vatican’s restitution comes as museums worldwide face pressure to return cultural goods acquired during colonial periods. It also follows the Church’s 2023 repudiation of the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the 15th-century papal teachings that European powers used to justify the seizure of Indigenous lands. While the Vatican did not formally rescind the original papal bulls, it acknowledged their role in centuries of abuses.

In its statement Saturday, the Vatican cited that repudiation and said the return of the artifacts concludes “the journey initiated by Pope Francis.”

The Canadian bishops emphasized that the items will ultimately belong to Indigenous communities themselves.

“These cultural ancestors are now able to rejoin our communities,” Indigenous leaders said, “and help with the continuity and revitalization of our cultural practices.”