The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will come to Canada at the end of July despite his knee pain. His trip scheduled for Sunday July 24 to Friday July 29 will take him to Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit.
This is a visit eagerly awaited by the First Nations, the Métis and the Innu who had asked the Pope to come and apologize on Canadian soil for the role of the Catholic Church in the management of residential schools for Aboriginals and ill-treatment inflicted by clerics in these establishments.
The Vatican confirmed the visit last month. The pope’s health was of concern, however, and cast doubt on how many public events there might be.
The itinerary confirms the passage of the Holy Father in the three Canadian cities with stops of several days in Edmonton and Quebec. The Pope’s visit to Nunavut will only last a few hours.
However, no mention is made of these requested apologies and whether they will take place in public or in private during the numerous meetings organized with members of the Indigenous Peoples.
First stop in Alberta
According to the itinerary published Thursday on the Vatican website, the Holy Father will be officially welcomed at the Edmonton airport in the morning of Sunday July 24.
His first full day in Canada will be spent meeting with Indigenous peoples. The pope, who has mobility issues, will travel to Maskwacis, an hour’s drive south of Edmonton, a community home to several Cree First Nations.
That same day, a meeting will be held at the Sacred Heart Church in Edmonton with Aboriginal people and members of the parish community.
The general public will have the opportunity to see the pope during a mass at Commonwealth Stadium in the Alberta capital.
The Holy Father will then participate in the pilgrimage to Lac Sainte-Anne, a place of great importance to Catholics, First Nations and Métis in the province.
Dating in Quebec
Pope Francis will then leave Alberta on Wednesday July 27 for Quebec, where he will be welcomed by the Governor General of Canada at the Citadelle.
He will also meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as Indigenous and diplomatic representatives.
Thursday, July 28 will be devoted to events accessible to the general public, including a mass at the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré National Sanctuary. Vespers will then be celebrated at Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral.
A few hours in Nunavut
The pope will conclude his visit to Canada on Friday, July 29 with a morning meeting with members of the Society of Jesus and a delegation of Aboriginal people.
He will then travel to Nunavut, but his visit to Iqaluit will only last a few hours. According to the itinerary, Pope Francis will meet some former students of boarding schools for natives there.
This is the only mention in the itinerary of this page of Canadian history for which the pope apologized for the abuses perpetrated in these establishments by members of the Catholic Church.
The pope’s last meeting on Canadian soil will be with young and old people at the elementary school in Iqaluit before his departure that same evening for Rome.
Details to come…
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
