Pope Francis is coming to Canada next week. Not a vacation for the 85-year-old Catholic pontiff; definitely a business trip.
The pope will visit Edmonton, Maskwacis and Lac Ste. Anne in Alberta, Quebec City in Quebec, and Iqaluit in Nunavut.
The schedule includes 9 homilies and addresses and saying 2 Masses. The primary focus for Pope Francis is an expected apology for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools.
The pope will arrive in Edmonton on Sunday and be in the area July 24-27. He will be in Quebec City July 27-29. His stay in Iqaluit will be less than a day.
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While the apology will be welcome, there are other pressing concerns from the church. 48 Catholic church entities signed on to fundraise $25 million for survivors as part of a settlement agreement with the term "best efforts." Somehow, those "best efforts" resulted in just under $4 million. The Catholic Church can afford to write out a check for the difference.
The church could also release all residential school documents and records to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Theoretically, the pope has the power to make all of that happen. The requests aren't for anything extra but to get justice for those damaged by the residential schools system.
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We hope that the relevant population gets some relief from the papal visit to Canada. Quite frankly, more transparency and compensation, too.
If you still don't know too much about residential schools, especially if you are deeply Catholic, we invite you to read our Indigenous coverage to get some idea before Pope Francis lands on Canadian soil.
video credit: CBC News
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