Vatican to repatriate Indigenous artefacts, including Inuit kayak, to Canada from Anima Mundi museum, aligning with 2025 Jubilee and reconciliation efforts
Newsroom (24/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) The Vatican will return a collection of Indigenous artefacts, including a historic Inuit kayak, from its Anima Mundi museum to Indigenous communities in Canada, Vatican officials announced, marking a significant step in the Catholic Church’s reconciliation efforts.
The repatriation involves “a few dozen” items from the Vatican Museums’ ethnographic collection, including wampum belts, war clubs, and masks, which have come to symbolize the Church’s complex historical relationship with Indigenous peoples in the Americas. The move follows years of dialogue, catalyzed by Pope Francis’ 2022 meeting with Canadian Indigenous leaders in Rome, where he issued a formal apology for the Church’s role in Canada’s residential school system.
During that visit, Indigenous representatives viewed the artefacts and requested their return, prompting the Pope to express openness to restitution “where it’s necessary to make a gesture.” The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has since collaborated with Indigenous groups to facilitate the transfer, with a formal announcement expected in the coming weeks. Officials aim to complete the repatriation before the end of 2024.
The artefacts, held in the Vatican’s Anima Mundi collection, were primarily sent to Rome for a 1925 exhibition during the Holy Year under Pope Pius XI, intended to showcase the global reach of Catholic missions. The Vatican has described these items as “gifts” to the pontiff. However, historians and critics argue that the context of their acquisition—during a period when Catholic orders enforced Canada’s assimilation policies, later deemed “cultural genocide” by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission—casts doubt on the notion of freely given offerings.
The repatriation process mirrors the Vatican’s 2023 return of Parthenon Marbles fragments to the Orthodox Church of Greece, employing a “church-to-church” model. Upon their return, the artefacts will be housed at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, where experts, in partnership with Indigenous communities, will identify their specific origins and determine appropriate custodianship. A senior Canadian official emphasized that the Indigenous communities will ultimately decide the artefacts’ future.
The timing of the repatriation aligns with the 2025 Jubilee, which marks the centenary of the 1925 exhibition. Vatican officials frame the gesture as an act of reflection and repentance, resonating with the Jubilee’s themes of reconciliation and hope. For Indigenous communities, the return of these culturally significant items represents a step toward healing and reclaiming their heritage.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Catholic Herald
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