Pope Francis traveled to Canada this weekend.
The purpose of the Catholic leader’s seven-day trip: to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses at church-run residential schools.
In advance of his visit, which started Sunday, here are five key facts:
1. It’s a “one-of-a-kind” papal trip.
Christopher White, the National Catholic Reporter’s Vatican correspondent, reports:
When he touches down in Edmonton, Alberta, Francis will find a dramatically altered scene than that of past airport arrivals. Gone will be the jubilant sights and sounds of marching bands and cheering crowds.
When he arrives on the ground — almost certainly via hydraulic lift, given that his limited physical mobility has added another layer of complication to this difficult trip — the first hands he will shake will be that of Indigenous elders and survivors of residential schools. Indigenous drummers will provide background percussion and there will be no customary meetings with the head of state or speeches to civic authorities on his first day in the country.
2. Francis will find a nation where Catholicism is in decline.
Jessica Mundie, a fellow for the National Post, explains:
The role of the Catholic Church in society is not what it once was. What used to be a pillar in the social and political life of communities has now, for some, become the building they pass on the way to the grocery store. Its reputation has been tarnished by sex abuse scandals in Canada and around the world, and after last summer, when hundreds of suspected unmarked graves were discovered on the sites of past residential schools, many were reminded of the church’s role in this country’s controversial history.
Canadian Catholics are hoping that a visit from the Pope, which includes stops in Quebec City and Iqaluit, and meetings with First Nations, can begin to address past wrongs.
3. This marks the first papal visit to Canada in two decades.
Clemente Lisi reports for ReligionUnplugged :
The last pope to visit Canada was St. John Paul II in 2002, part of World Youth Day that was held in Toronto. His papal Mass attracted more than 800,000 people at Downsview Park.
“We are immensely grateful that the Holy Father has accepted our invitation to continue the journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples of this land,” said Bishop Raymond Poisson, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. “In late July, Pope Francis will have the opportunity to visit Indigenous peoples here in their homeland, as he promised when he met them recently in Rome. We pray for the health of the Holy Father as we undertake the intensive planning for this historic visit.”
4. The trip to Canada comes amid concerns about the 85-year-old pontiff’s health.
Michael J. O’Loughlin, national correspondent for America, noted:
Francis continues to be bothered by a torn ligament in his knee that affects his mobility. Another planned trip, for early July, to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, was postponed because of his knee pain. Some commentators have suggested that the pope looks frail in recent video footage. The church analyst Thomas Reese, S.J., speculated last year that we are witnessing “the beginning of the end of his papacy.”
But recent high-profile interviews not only gave journalists opportunities to question the pope during a time of international upheaval but allowed the Vatican to show that Francis is still in charge.
5. This past weekend, Francis asked for prayers for his pilgrimage to Canada.
The Associated Press’ Frances D'Emilio, in a dispatch from Vatican City, quotes Francis:
“Dear brothers and sisters of Canada, as you know I will come among you above all in the name of Jesus to meet and embrace the Indigenous populations,″ Francis said.
“Unfortunately, in Canada, many Christians, including some members of religious institutions, contributed to the policies of cultural assimilation, that, in the past, gravely damaged, in various ways, the Native communities,” the pope said, speaking from a studio window of the Apostolic Palace facing the square.
“For this reason, recently, at the Vatican, I received several groups, representatives of Indigenous peoples, to whom I manifested by sorrow and my solidarity for the evil they have suffered,″ Francis said.
“And now I will make a penitential voyage that I hope, with the grace of God, can contribute to the path of healing and reconciliation already undertaken,” said Francis, appealing for the faithful to “accompany me with prayers” during the pilgrimage.
Look for ReligionUnplugged.com coverage of Francis’ trip by Lisi, a senior editor who focuses on Catholic news (at GetReligion, as well).
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CONTINUE READING: “5 Key Facts As Pope Francis Travels To Canada To Apologize To Indigenous Peoples” by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.