Pope Francis is about to begin a visit to Canada on Sunday, where he is expected to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system.
This is the first papal visit to the country in 20 years. Here’s what you need to know about the Pope’s six-day tour of Canada.
WHERE IS THE POPE GOING?
Pope Francis is scheduled to land at Edmonton International Airport on July 24 and attend a welcoming ceremony.
The next day, he is scheduled to meet with residential school survivors from across Canada in Maskwacis, Alta., where the former Ermineskin Residential School is located. This is the only visit to the school as part of the Pope’s itinerary. Later that day, he will meet with parishioners and local community members at Edmonton’s Sacred Heart First Nations Church, which recently reopened after a fire in 2020.
On July 26, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium before greeting local pilgrims at Lac Ste. Anna Pilgrimage groups.
The Pope will travel to Quebec City on July 27, where he will meet with Governor General Mary Simon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Citadel of Quebec, as well as indigenous leaders and other dignitaries.
He will also celebrate mass at the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-des-Beaupres the next day before meeting with a delegation of Quebec’s indigenous people and flying to Iqaluit on July 29.
At an elementary school in Iqaluit, the pope will have another private meeting with indigenous school survivors before attending a public event organized by Inuit leaders. Pope Francis is due to fly back to Rome later that evening.
WHY IS THE POPE COMING TO CANADA?
Pope Francis’ visit comes after First Nations, Métis and Inuit delegations met with the pope in Rome in March to discuss reconciliation with Canada’s indigenous communities.
At the end of this series of meetings, the Pope read an apology to the delegates, asking God’s forgiveness for the “deplorable behavior” of members of the Catholic Church.
Pressure on the pope to come to Canada and apologize intensified after the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at a former dormitory in Kamloops, British Columbia last year, which was followed by similar discoveries at numerous other former educational institutions across the country.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that approximately 150,000 Indigenous children attended the school system, mostly by force, from the late 1800s to 1996.
Of the 139 schools in the system, more than half were run by the Catholic Church. The commission estimates that approximately 4,100 to 6,000 children died as a result of abuse and neglect while in the residential school system.
The commission’s 58th call to action calls for the pope to issue an apology on Canadian soil for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system.
HOW MUCH WILL THIS VISIT COST?
The federal government is spending more than $35 million on the pope’s visit. Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations spend $30.5 million on community-led activities, ceremonies and to support travel expenses for survivors
Another $3 million is being spent to help local communities in the three regions the Pope is visiting, while $2 million is being spent on
The Alberta government is also spending up to $20 million on the visit. Much of that money goes toward improving roads and infrastructure in Lac Ste. Anne and Maskvatsis.
With files from CTV News Edmonton, CTVNews.ca’s Michael Lee, Brooklyn Neustaeter and The Canadian Press.
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