Pope Leo XIV formally handed possession of an historic collection of Indigenous objects held by the Vatican Museums for a century to representatives of the Catholic Church in Canada, which will return them to Indigenous groups across the country.

The objects include a rare Western Arctic sealskin kayak, the highest-profile item among the hundreds that were put on display in the Vatican in 2025 during a missionary exhibit.

For several years, the Métis National Council, the Assembly of First Nations and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami have been putting pressure on the Vatican to repatriate the objects as part of the residential schools reconciliation process.

The release of the objects came after a meeting Saturday morning Rome time between Pope Leo and senior representatives of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, including Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and CCCB president.