Vatican returns controversial collection of Indigenous artefacts

• Dozens of Inuit artefacts, repatriated by the Vatican, are scheduled for display at the Canadian Museum of History this Tuesday.
• Indigenous leaders welcomed the 62 items, including a traditional Inuit kayak, upon their arrival at Montreal’s airport on Saturday.
• The collection, held in the Vatican Museum’s ethnographic collection for a century, will eventually return to ancestral communities as part of the Catholic Church's reconciliation efforts.
• Most artefacts were sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries for a 1925 exhibition, with the Vatican maintaining they were "gifts" to Pope Pius XI, a claim questioned by historians and Indigenous groups.
• This repatriation follows years of advocacy from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis leaders, highlighting wider debates over the restitution of cultural goods taken during colonial periods.

IN FULL

The Vatican is returning rare Indigenous artifacts after a century