Pope Francis expressed his "pain" Sunday over the discovery of the remains of 215 children in a mass grave at a former indigenous boarding school in Canada run by the Church.
But he did not go so far as to offer the apology that many people have been calling for over the unfolding scandal.
-I follow with pain the news coming from Canada about the shocking discovery of the remains of 215 children- he said, following Sunday prayers at Saint Peter's Square.
The discovery of the remains of the children last month sent shockwaves through Canadian society.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday called on the Catholic Church to take responsibility for its role in the deaths at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.
He has already promised "concrete action" from the government and urged his fellow Catholics in Canada to make it clear to the Church that they expected its full cooperation too.
-Before we have to start taking the Catholic Church to court, I am very hopeful that religious leaders will understand that this is something they need to participate in- he added.
In his speech Sunday, Pope Francis said: "I unite with the Canadian bishops and the entire Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my solidarity with the Canadian people traumatised by this shocking news.
-The sad discovery further increases awareness of the pain and suffering of the past- he added.