ROME -- Drums pounded through the frescoed halls of the Apostolic Palace on Thursday and out into St. Peter's Square as Pope Francis welcomed a First Nations delegation seeking an apology for the Catholic Church's role in running Canada's notorious residential schools for indigenous children.
Francis met privately for two hours with the representatives of the Assembly of First Nations, following his meetings earlier in the week with delegations from the Metis and Inuit communities of Canada.
"I feel the pope and the church have expressed a sentiment of working toward reconciliation," said Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty of the Cree Nation, after the audience.
The trip was years in the making, but gained momentum last year after the discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves outside some of the residential schools.
More than 150,000 native children in Canada were forced to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century until the 1970s in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. The aim was to Christianize and assimilate them into mainstream society, which previous Canadian governments considered superior.
Even before the grave sites were discovered, Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission specifically called for a papal apology to be delivered on Canadian soil for the church's role in the abuses against the Indigenous.
Francis has committed to traveling to Canada, though no date for such a visit has been announced.
The Vatican said Thursday's meeting was held "in a climate of listening and closeness" and would be followed by Francis' audience with all three groups today, when he is to deliver a public address.
"If you were to ask me am I optimistic leaving our discussion with the Holy Father, I am," said Phil Fontaine, who was national chief of the Assembly of First Nations in 2009 when he led an Indigenous delegation to meet with Pope Benedict XVI.
At the time, Benedict only expressed his "sorrow at the anguish caused by the deplorable conduct of some members of the church." He did not apologize.
Gallery: Assembly of First Nations members visit Vatican
