A First Nation woman claims she was seriously injured in a confrontation outside a Catholic church in Edmonton on Sunday.
The jostling was captured on video and posted to social media.
Elder Taz Augustine is seen being shoved out the door of Our Lady Queen of Poland Catholic Church.
It happened after she and five others attended to hear a public apology for Rev. Marcin Mironiuk, who claimed during a sermon in July the recent findings of unmarked graves outside former residential schools was a lie.
“When we started to walk into the church, we had no intention of being violent at all, we had the smudge with us,” Augustine told APTN News.
“We’ll go in and listen to the apology. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.”
Mironiuk, a priest with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), was placed on leave, and the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton said an apology would be delivered “in conjunction with the August 14 and 15 masses.”
Mironiuk also wrote a letter that said: “I apologize to the Residential Schools Survivors and pledge to do better.” He also promised to educate himself on the issue.
Augustine, who said she was at his church “willing to educate”, said she suffered some bumps and bruises after the pushing and shoving.
“It’s the physical pain that will heal. Our intergenerational and emotional pain, that’s going to take a few more generations to heal,” she said.
APTN reached out to the church for comment and has yet to hear back.
Edmonton police were called and said Monday they were still investigating what happened.
