Pope Francis will visit Canada from July 24 to 30 to meet with indigenous peoples who have been hit hard by policies of cultural assimilation that many Christians and members of religious institutions have participated in in the past.
“Walking together“,”Let’s walk togetherThe motto of Pope Francis’ 37th Apostolic Visit to Canada from 24 to 30 July. “A Pilgrimage”To “meet and embrace” them, as he himself defined it. Canadian Indigenous Peoples Métis, Inuit, First Nations and Métis Manitoba With him he met their representatives five times in the Vatican and started the process of reconciliation. At the audience meeting held on April 1, 2022, it was promised that “I will be glad to visit your own territories where your families live and benefit again by meeting with you.”
On that occasion, the Pope also paused to appreciate some of the peculiar characteristics of their culture: “Take care of the territoryYou do not understand it as an asset to be exploited, but as a gift from heaven”, “Love of family”, “living sense of community”, “specific riches of your languages, your culturesYour Traditions and Art Forms”.
After a long wait and days of uncertainty due to Pope Francis’ health, we are finally leaving. It promises to be a unique and specific journey that will be noticed and purposed: “Contribute to the path of healing and reconciliation»In the past, indigenous communities have been severely affected by policies of cultural assimilation contributed by many Christians and members of religious institutions.
Pope Francis declared in April that he felt “anger” and “shame” in the face of these “ideological colonialisms.”, has defined himself as a true “tragedy”. “How many political, ideological and economic colonies in the world are still driven by greed, thirst for profit, regardless of the population, their histories and traditions and the common home of creation – he said -. Unfortunately, this colonial mentality is still prevalent. Let’s help each other get through it“. So the mission of the trip will have as its specific focus dialogue and listening, intimacy and solidarity with Canadian Indigenous peoples.
The Pope’s flight from Rome/Fiumicino lands in Edmonton on the morning of July 24. The trip will have three stops – Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit – and the nine speeches delivered during the six days of the Pope’s stay.
On July 26, Pope Francis visits Lac St. Anne to honor Jesus’ grandparents, Saints Joachim and Anna., about 72 kilometers from Edmonton, to participate in a traditional pilgrimage organized since 1886 in honor of the Holy Mother. In those places, every year, tens of thousands of people gather to express their devotion to the grandmother of Jesus and to emphasize the importance of the elderly in their communities.
“I think with gratitude of the many good believers who, in the name of faith, with respect, love and compassion, have enriched your history with the Gospel – the Pope said in his address on April 1. For example, it makes me happy to think of the veneration that so many of you have for the Holy Mother, the grandmother of Jesus. I want to be with you on those days this year. Today we must rebuild an alliance between grandparents and grandchildren, between the old and the young.A basic premise for a greater unity of human society”.
The agenda of the apostolic journey includes dialogues with civil authorities, bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminars and pastoral workers. On July 29, the Pope will meet privately with some members of the Society of Jesus. TV channels, on YouTube, can follow six days of Streaming from Official website of the Vatican and participate by i SocialUsing Hashtag #WalkingTogether, #popeinCanada and #Canada dedicated to the event or from the two official pages on Facebook and Twitter.
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