Pope Francis. Credit: Twitter handle of Jason Kenney
Edmonton/CMEDIA: Aimed at reconciliation with Indigenous people for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in residential schools, Pope Francis has reportedly landed in Edmonton, Canada on his penitential trip.
Included in his six-day visit to Canada. the pontiff is also set to travel to Quebec City and Iqaluit.
While in Alberta, the Pope is expected to visit the former Ermineskin Indian Residential School in the community of Maskwacis, where he would make an apology to Indigenous people for abuses they suffered at the schools.
With more than 60 percent of the residential schools in Canada run by the Catholic Church, an estimated 150,000 Indigenous children in Canada, suffered neglect. physical and sexual abuse.
Some survivors have reported saying that they had been carrying unimaginable trauma for many generations.
On April 1, Francis apologized for the deplorable conduct of some church members involved in residential schools after meetings over several days with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis groups at the Vatican.
Indigenous delegates Insisted that Pope should make an apology on Canadian soil where his presence will be a step toward reconciliation.
Although First Nations leaders in Alberta expected the Pope’s presence to open old wounds for Indigenous people for which mental health counselors will be at the sites.
#PopeFrancis; #TourToCanada; #IndigenousChildren
