Members of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation gathering this week in Kamloops

Members of the Tk'emlups te Secwepemc First Nation will gather later this week in Kamloops to share ideas about the upcoming delegation that will meet with the pope at the Vatican.

Tk'emlups Chief Rosanne Casimir is among the Indigenous leaders chosen to attend the audience later this month but she has also been granted a one-on-one meeting with Pope Francis.

She says band members should meet at 6 p-m Thursday ``with an open mind, suggestions and comments'' as she prepares for the audience.

Casimir has said she intends to invite Pope Francis to Kamloops during his visit to Canada later this year and hopes the Catholic church will acknowledge its role in the residential school system and the treatment of children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, where suspected remains of more than 200 former students are believed to be buried.