Justin Trudeau has urged Pope Francis to apologise for the Catholic Church's treatment of indigenous children in schools it ran in Canada.
The prime minister asked the pontiff to visit and apologise personally after about 150,000 aboriginal children were placed in so-called 'residential schools', many run by the Church, in an attempt to rid them of their culture and native languages in the 19<sup>th century.
A 2015 report said the government-funded practice amounted to 'cultural genocide' with many children physically and sexually abused.
The study by Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission made 94 recommenations, including that the pope make a formal apology for the church's 'role in the spiritual, culturalemotional, physical and sexual abuse' of the children.
'I told him how important it is for Canadians to move forward on real reconciliation with the indigenous peoples and I highlighted how he could help by issuing an apology,' Trudeau, a devout Catholic,told reporters after meeting the pope on Monday.
He added the pope 'reminded me that his entire life has been dedicated to supporting marginalised people in the world, fighting for them, and that he looks forward to working with me and with the Canadian bishops to figure out a path forward together'.
The pair also discussed climate change and unlike Trump's Vatican meeting last week, the Pope and Trudeau agreed global warming was human caused.
'We talked about how important it is to highlight the scientific basis of protecting our planet and the moral and ethical obligations to lead, to build a better future for all people on this earth,' Trudeau said.
He added he had 'a deeply personal and wide-ranging, thoughtful conversation with the leader of my own faith'.
Additional reporting from Reuters.
