Humbling A Pope

• Prize
  Bronze in Editorial/Personality
• Photographer
  Gavin John
• Agency / Studio
  The Globe And Mail
• Technical Info
  Nikon D850, 145mm, 2.8, 1/1600
• Photo Date
  25 July 2022

Chief Wilton Littlechild (left) places a headdress onto the head of a solemn Pope Francis on July 25, 2022. The Pontiff traveled to Canada to apologize for the Residential School system that was responsible for the forced assimilation of Indigenous children between 1831 and 1997. An estimated 4,100 children died or went missing while under the care of the church. The gift of the headdress was met with mixed reactions by many in the indigenous community as the headdress is seen as a sacred item indicating great honour.