Indigenous leaders call on new Pope to return thousands of artifacts

May 21, 2025

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) is calling for the Vatican to return sacred First Nation artifacts taken from Indigenous communities during the residential school era. The FSIN, which represents Saskatchewan’s First Nations, has previously formally requested the repatriation of items including sacred pipes, medicine bundles, ceremonial regalia and other cultural objects currently housed in the Vatican Museums in Vatican City.  FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron has renewed that request in light of Pope Leo XIV’s recent appointment as head of the Catholic Church…