Papal Canada Visit News

  • Pope says he is 'deeply sorry' to Indigeneous Peoples in Canada

    Jul 26, 2022

    In his first public event in Canada, Pope Francis addresses representatives of Indigenous Peoples of the First Nations, the Métis and the Inuit gathered in Maskwacis Park, near Edmonton. In his poignant speech, he again implores forgiveness for the evils committed by many Christians against the Indigenous Peoples in Canada in the residential school system.

  • Residential school survivor: 'I'm here for my parents, whose kids were taken'

    Jul 26, 2022

    Gerry Shigouz, a survivor of Canada's residential schools, opens up about her relationship with the Church, and the strength she finds in standing for those who did not make it, as Pope Francis asks forgiveness for the Church's role in the system.

  • ‘Healing can now begin’

    Jul 26, 2022

    Elder Fernie Marty of the Sacred Heart First Peoples Church in Edmonton says it's very important that Pope Francis is coming to Canada so that a healing process can begin after the atrocities of the past.

  • On the land of the Indigenous Peoples

    Jul 26, 2022

    Pope Francis’ “penitential pilgrimage” in Canada gets into full swing on Monday morning, with a visit to a former residential school in Maskwacis, about an hour south of Edmonton.

  • Embracing indigenous culture within the liturgy

    Jul 26, 2022

    Fr Cristino Bouvette, who was instrumental in preparing the liturgies for Pope Francis' visit to Canada, describes how he always wished for the culture of the Church and Indigenous culture to work in harmony.

  • Indigenous and Catholic: One can proudly be both, pope says

    Jul 26, 2022

    While presented as missionary work, the operation of residential schools by Catholics in Canada was actually an attempt to impose European culture on Canada’s Indigenous people, Pope Francis said.

  • The ‘solemn purpose’ of the Pope’s penitential pilgrimage

    Jul 25, 2022

    Indigenous people in Canada eagerly await Pope Francis' message of repentance and reconciliation as he begins his "penitential pilgrimage" in Canada.

  • Pope Francis arrives in Canada, first public events to start Monday

    Jul 25, 2022

    Pope Francis arrives in Edmonton, Canada, to mark the start of his 37th Apostolic Journey abroad, what he has called a “penitential pilgrimage” to the nation as a way to contribute to the process of "healing and reconciliation with the country’s indigenous peoples.”

  • Pope Francis remembers Grandparents Day on Papal Flight

    Jul 24, 2022

    Aboard Papal Flight for 'Penitential Pilgrimage' to Canada, Pope Francis remembers in a special way the World Day for Grandparents and Elderly celebrated by the Church on Sunday. Before walking to greet journalists in the corridors, the Pope praises grandparents as the roots who must be treasured and bring everything forward.

  • John Paul II: ‘I come to proclaim your dignity and support your destiny'

    Jul 24, 2022

    Pope Francis travels on Sunday to Canada for his 37th Apostolic Journey where he will primarily meet with representatives of the indigenous peoples who live in Canada. On several occasions, his predecessor Pope John Paul II met with representatives of the indigenous peoples living in Canada, praising their culture, upholding their rights, and acknowledging that, ‘the hour has come to bind up wounds, to heal all divisions’.