If the Vatican has traditional and ceremonial belongings from Indigenous peoples in its collections, then repatriating them could indeed accord with the aims of reconciliation, coming from an institution that ran most of the residential schools in Canada. B
ut estimates of the magnitude of the collections held in the Vatican Museums and Libraries run to more than two million objects; no comprehensive catalogue is publicly available. It is no surprise that the Vatican collections are opaque.
But institutional conservatism is colliding with the transformative figure of Pope Francis, who has said he is in favour of repatriation. So how exactly can repatriation be achieved?
