On his last day in Canada, Pope Francis visits the Arctic and admits its “limited physical possibilities”

Pope Francis met on Friday in Quebec, on the last day of his trip to Canada, the representatives of the indigenous people, to whom he assured that he had come despite his “limited physical possibilities”for the pain in his knee that prevents him from walking, from “taking steps forward reconciliation“with them after the evil that the Church has caused them.

Before leaving for Iqaluit in northeastern Canada, In the Arctic, Francisco greeted the representatives of indigenous peoples at the archbishopric.

He reiterated to them: “The pain I carry in my heart for the evil that not a few Catholics have caused them by supporting oppressive and unjust policies”, referring to the schools, many of which run by the Church, where they were interned at 150,000 indigenous children who have suffered any kind of abuse.

Some of the 139 boarding schools organized across the country, designed and funded by the Canadian state, were run by Catholic and Christian institutions, for which survivors claimed in 2015 the need for a papal apology in Canada that Francis finally made this week.

“I came as a pilgrim, with my limited physical possibilities, to take new steps forward with you and for you; so that the search for truth continues, so that progress can be made in promoting paths of healing and reconciliation ”, said Francis. “I didn’t come as a tourist”He added.

The pope described that from this journey he draws «the incomparable treasure made up of people and peoples who have marked me; of faces, smiles and words that remain inside me; of stories and places “that, he said, he will not be able to forget.

“I dare say, if you will allow me, that now, in a sense, I too feel part of your family, and I feel honored“, He added.

He appreciated the natives that “that sense of familiarity and community ”in the face of such an individualistic world, as well as“ the bond between young and old, and safeguarding a healthy and harmonious relationship with all of creation ”.

And he concluded by wishing that “the great work of healing and reconciliation so pleasing to God” will continue.

Pope Francis was moved during this trip tied to the wheelchair to be able to travel to the places of events and remained almost always seatedeven during the celebration of masses, where he always had an assistant.

In some photos he was seen walking with the help of a cane or even with a walker when it came to narrow corridors.

visit to the Arctic

The pope embarks on his way back to Rome this Friday, but first he had planned one last stop in Canada: the Arctic.

Pope Francis closes his six-day trip to Canada with a short visit to Iqaluit, 300 kilometers away south of the Arctic Circlein which he will continue his request for forgiveness to the natives for the evil caused by Christians in the colleges that operated in the twentieth century.

In Iqaluit, city of the indigenous Inuit, the pontiff will meet indigenous elderly and young people to whom he will deliver a speech focusing on the renewed request for forgiveness for the role of the Church in residential schools where some 150,000 children have suffered “terrible cultural destruction” separated from their families to westernize their customs, as described by the Pope this week.

Since his first speech on Canadian soil, Francis has insisted on the “shame” and “pain” caused by the “evil” generated by Christians.

Source: Agencies

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