Ruing past boarding-school abuses, US Catholic bishops approve new outreach to Native Americans

U.S. Catholic Bishops convening for a two-day meeting approved a new, multifaceted program of outreach to Native American Catholics. The effort is motivated in part by a desire to make amends for the widespread abuses inflicted on Native youths at scores of Catholic-run boarding schools in the 19th and 20th centuries. The proposed plan covers everything from evangelism and sacred music to education, marriage and family. According to church statistics, Native Americans make up about 3.5% of U.S. Catholics and more than 350 parishes serve predominantly Indigenous people.