• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Catholic Review

Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Menu
  • Home
  • News
        • Local News
        • World News
        • Vatican News
        • Obituaries
        • Featured Video
        • En Español
        • Sports News
        • Official Clergy Assignments
        • Schools News
  • Commentary
        • Contributors
          • Question Corner
          • George Weigel
          • Effie Caldarola
          • John Garvey
          • Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
          • Guest Commentary
        • CR Columnists
          • Archbishop William E. Lori
          • Rita Buettner
          • Christopher Gunty
          • George Matysek Jr.
          • Father Joseph Breighner
          • Father Collin Poston
          • Robyn Barberry
          • Hanael Bianchi
          • Amen Columns
  • Entertainment
        • Events
        • Movie & Television Reviews
        • Arts & Culture
        • Books
        • Recipes
  • About Us
        • Contact Us
        • Our History
        • Meet Our Staff
        • Photos to own
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
        • CR Media platforms
        • Electronic Edition
  • Advertising
  • Shop
        • Purchase Photos
        • Books/CDs/Prayer Cards
  • CR Radio
  • News Tips
  • Subscribe
Adrian Gunner, representing the Assembly of First Nations, presents Pope Francis with snowshoes made of black ash with caribou sinew and artificial sinew in the Vatican's Clementine Hall April 1, 2022. The pope will meet members of Canada's Indigenous communities in late July, visiting the cities of Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit in Nunavut, the country's most northern region. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Vatican confirms pope will visit Indigenous in Canada in late July

May 13, 2022
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
Filed Under: Child & Youth Protection, Feature, News, Vatican, World News

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will meet members of Canada’s Indigenous communities in late July, visiting the cities of Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit in Nunavut, the country’s most northern region.

“Accepting the invitation of the civil and ecclesiastical authorities and the Indigenous communities,” the pope will be in Canada July 24-29, returning to Rome July 30, the Vatican announced May 13.

The Vatican said a detailed program would be released later.

“The pope’s visit will provide a unique opportunity for him, once again, to listen and dialogue with Indigenous peoples, to express his heartfelt closeness and to address the impact of colonization and the participation of the Catholic Church in the operation of residential schools throughout Canada,” the bishops of Canada wrote on a website — papalvisit.ca — launched for the visit.

The papal visit, the bishops said, would be “a significant step on the road to truth, understanding and healing.”

Pope Francis had promised to visit Canada during a meeting April 1 with representatives of Canada’s Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Assembly of First Nations — three groups he also had met with individually. A delegation from the Manitoba Métis Federation visited the Vatican separately April 21 and also met with the pope.

Many of the representatives in the groups were survivors of residential schools — boarding schools the government established to educate and forcefully assimilate Indigenous children. Many of the schools were run by Catholic religious orders or dioceses.

While survivors shared with the pope their experiences of being torn from their families and often physically or sexually abused at the schools, the elected leaders of the groups asked Pope Francis to travel to Canada to formally apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in suppressing their languages, cultures and spiritualities and, particularly, for the church’s role in running many of the residential schools.

“For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church,” the pope told the representatives in April, “I ask for God’s forgiveness, and I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry.”

He also had told them he would like to join them in July for their annual celebration of the feast of St. Anne, Jesus’ grandmother. A major pilgrimage is held each year at the Shrine of St. Anne, on Lac Ste. Anne, not far from Edmonton.

The bishops said the trip is being planned with representatives of the Indigenous communities, and their website provides a few notes about the three cities that were chosen.

Edmonton, it said, is home to the second largest number of Indigenous people living in urban centers in Canada, and “25 residential schools were located in Alberta, the most of any province or territory in Canada.”

“Iqaluit, with a population of 8,000 people, is home to the largest number of Inuit in Canada — approximately 3,900,” it said. “Pope Francis was personally invited by the Inuit delegates to visit the North.” The pope did, however, insist he would not go to the region in winter.

Quebec, the website said, would serve as the “eastern hub for those who may wish to travel to see Pope Francis, especially Indigenous peoples” of Canada’s eastern territories. “The region is also home to (the Shrine of) Ste. Anne-de-Beaupré, one of the oldest and most popular pilgrimage sites in North America, drawing Indigenous peoples and others from throughout Canada and around the world each year.

Read More Vatican News

As pope leaves hospital, he comforts couple, jokes with reporters

Doctors say pope can be discharged from hospital

Pope visits pediatric oncology ward, baptizes infant

Additional charges filed in Vatican finance trial

Lasting peace can exist only without weapons, pope says

U.S. Catholic bishops call on faithful to pray for Pope Francis’ recovery during hospitalization

Copyright © 2022 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Print Print

Primary Sidebar

Cindy Wooden

Catholic News Service is a leading agency for religious news. Its mission is to report fully, fairly and freely on the involvement of the church in the world today.

View all posts from this author

For the latest news delivered twice a week via email or text message, sign up to receive our free enewsletter.

| MOST POPULAR |

  • ‘God showed up in a very powerful, powerful way’: Archdiocese of Hartford investigating possible eucharistic miracle
  • A miracle at a Sunday Mass in Connecticut
  • Fullerton Passion Walk a ‘deeply moving’ experience
  • Men urged to be on fire for faith at Catholic Men’s Fellowship of Maryland conference
  • Cathedral of Mary Our Queen to host world premiere of Passion setting

| Latest Local News |

Catholic group pushing for inclusive housing in city

Sulpician Father Louis Reitz dies at 93

Sister Regina Marie de l’Eucharistie Loftus dies at 86

| Latest World News |

As pope leaves hospital, he comforts couple, jokes with reporters

Hate crimes targeting religions on rise in Canada; crimes against Catholics increase 260 percent

Assisted suicide, euthanasia an ‘incredibly slippery slope’ in the West, says CUA panel

| Catholic Review Radio |

CatholicReview · Catholic Review Radio

Footer

Our Vision

Real Life. Real Faith. 

Catholic Review Media communicates the Gospel and its impact on people’s lives in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and beyond.

Our Mission

Catholic Review Media provides intergenerational communications that inform, teach, inspire and engage Catholics and all of good will in the mission of Christ through diverse forms of media.

Contact

Catholic Review
320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-3150
mail@CatholicReview.org

 

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent

  • As pope leaves hospital, he comforts couple, jokes with reporters
  • Hate crimes targeting religions on rise in Canada; crimes against Catholics increase 260 percent
  • Assisted suicide, euthanasia an ‘incredibly slippery slope’ in the West, says CUA panel
  • Arrests made for ‘unruly conduct’ at Virginia university that disrupted pro-life meeting, injured student leader
  • Doctors say pope can be discharged from hospital
  • Pope visits pediatric oncology ward, baptizes infant
  • Movie Review: ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’
  • Catholic group pushing for inclusive housing in city
  • Additional charges filed in Vatican finance trial

Search

Membership

Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada

Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association

The Associated Church Press

© 2023 CATHOLIC REVIEW MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED