Vatican’s Indigenous Artifact Return: Syncretism Masquerading as Reconciliation
The EWTN News portal reports on a December 8, 2025, ceremony in Montreal where 62 Indigenous artifacts were transferred from the Vatican to Canadian Indigenous leaders. This act, framed as part of the “Jubilee of Hope” initiated by Francis and executed by antipope Leo XIV, is presented as a gesture of reconciliation with Canada’s First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. The artifacts—including a kayak, masks, and moccasins—were displayed at the 1925 Vatican Missionary Exhibition under Pius XI and later incorporated into the Vatican Museums’ Anima Mundi collection. Indigenous representatives hailed the return as bringing “relatives” home, with Vancouver “archbishop” Richard Smith calling it “a gift freely given” to rebuild trust. The items will be housed temporarily at the Canadian Museum of History for provenance research before final distribution.