Global News – Pope Francis will visit a former residential school during his trip to Canada this summer as part of his commitment to Indigenous healing and reconciliation, organizers say.
The Pope, 85, will visit Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit as part of this pilgrimage from July 24 to July 29.
The visit to Canada comes after the Pope’s historic apology last month in Italy for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools in Canada.
“We will have the Pope visit a former residential school site and other locations of significance,” said Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, general co-ordinator of the trip for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, at a news conference on Friday.
“We fully expect that the Pope will reiterate the apology he did give in Rome.”
Vatican announces late July visit by Pope Francis to Canada
CBC – Pontiff to make 3 major stops in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit
The Vatican formally announced Friday a visit by Pope Francis to Canada from July 24 to 29.
The Pope will make three main stops, in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit, during the last week of July. CBC News previously reported the three cities were under strong considerationfor the papal visit.
Archbishop Richard Smith, the co-ordinator of the papal visit to Canada, said the Pope’s trip has been limited to only three “hubs” because of the Pope’s mobility issues.
“What’s really directing this is the Pope’s limited ability to get around,” Smith said from Edmonton on Friday.
“The Vatican was very, very clear: when he comes to a country, he can’t get around by helicopter, he can’t be in a car any more than an hour, he cannot be in a different place every night.”
More locations near the sites and specific itinerary details will be released six to eight weeks prior to the papal visit, according to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).
Pope Francis to tour Canada in July, with stops in Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit
TheGlobeandMail – Pope Francis will visit Canada in July with stops in Quebec City, Edmonton and Iqaluit, the Vatican confirmed Friday – a trip that many Indigenous leaders hope will include a stronger apology and further action from the Catholic Church to address the harmful legacy of residential schools.
The visit, from July 24 to July 30, is restricted to a few stops owing to the Pope’s increasingly limited mobility. Francis, who is 85, is dealing with pain in his right knee along with sciatica, and used a wheelchair for the first time publicly this month.
The Pope’s expected visit to Canada sparked mixed reactions. Some First Nations leaders said they are disappointed the locations do not include sites where unmarked graves were announced last year, such as in Kamloops, B.C.
“It’s disappointing to say the least,” said Terry Teegee, regional chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations. “There should have been more involvement with our First Nations leadership and speaking to survivors and actually visiting a residential school site.”
In a statement released Friday, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs called for the itinerary to be reconsidered, and for another stop to be added.
“If the Pope had time and the ability to travel to any of the unmarked graves that have been discovered … that would be important because those places are extremely powerful, and moving to visit,” said Métis National Council president Cassidy Caron.
She noted that there were no formal consultations with the three national Indigenous organizations about locations, and she hopes they and survivors will have input into further planning. Ms. Caron also hopes that the Pope will issue a “stronger apology” than the one given at the Vatican, encompassing the Catholic Church as a whole rather than individuals’ roles in the harms done to her people.
Papa Francesco annuncia visita in Canada dal 24 al 30 luglio
Tgcom24 – Papa Francesco si recherà in Canada dal 24 al 30 luglio “accogliendo l’invito delle autorità civili, ecclesiastiche e delle comunità indigene”: lo ha annunciato il direttore della sala stampa vaticana, Matteo Bruni. Si tratta del 38° viaggio apostolico del Papa che toccherà le città di Edmonton, Québec ed Iqaluit. Nell’udienza del primo aprile con le delegazioni dei popoli indigeni del Canada, incontrati prima singolarmente, Francesco aveva indicato un periodo di massima, ricordando la devozione “nei confronti di sant’Anna, la nonna di Gesù, quest’anno – aveva detto – io vorrei essere con voi, in quei giorni”. La memoria di Sant’Anna cade proprio il 26 luglio.
Viaggio del Papa in Canada, l’itinerario scontenta i nativi
– L’itinerario del viaggio di papa Francesco in Canada dal 24 al 30 luglio prossimi, così come è stato annunciato lo scorso venerdì 14 maggio, scontenta parte delle comunità indiane che attendevano nei propri territori il Pontefice e le sue scuse a nome della Chiesa per gli abusi e i maltrattamenti perpetrati nelle scuole residenziali cattoliche a danno dei piccoli nativi.
Troppo breve, con sole tre tappe e con l’aggravante che tralascia alcuni luoghi-simbolo dello scandalo, insomma insufficiente rispetto all’entità del dramma subito: questo il giudizio di alcune delle comunità autoctone coinvolte, cui pure il Papa, negli incontri avuti in Vaticano tra fine aprile e inizio maggio, oltre a chiedere “perdono a Dio” e a manifestare la sua “indignazione”, la sua “vergogna” e il suo “dolore”, aveva promesso di portare personalmente la sua vicinanza nelle rispettive terre d’origine.
