Pope wants to go to boarding school in Canada – kath.ch

During his visit to Canada, Pope Francis will often visit one of the controversial former boarding schools. May be one of the anonymous mass graves of children.

Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton, Canada, told an online news conference on Friday. The exact itinerary will be announced in mid-June. The Vatican officially confirmed the pope’s visit to Canada on Friday afternoon. The approximately one-week cruise destinations in July are Edmonton, Quebec City and Igaluit.

The tribesmen apologize

Smith, after traveling to Africa in early July, said he was surprised Francis was coming to Canada relatively soon considering his health. But it also shows how important it is for the church leader to confirm the apology of the indigenous people of Canada on their own land. This connection between the people and their country is very important for the affected people.

Goal of the trip: “Healing, Hope and Reconciliation”

The number of places to visit was low only because of the pope’s age and limited mobility, Smith explained. The church’s organizers, state officials and Native representatives wanted to ensure that as many Indigenous Canadians as possible could meet with the pope, the archbishop promised. The purpose of the trip is to implement “healing, hope and reconciliation,” says Smith.

The reason for the trip was that the pope should apologize for the role of the Catholic Church in the history of controversial residential schools. Of these, tribal children were robbed, abused and abused in their culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. The operators were mostly in churches.

Sorry on Canadian soil

Francis had already apologized for the failure of the church delegation when several local delegates visited Rome at the end of March. The apology sought on Canadian soil is still pending. (cic)