Catholics have only one pope, but his visit to Quebec arouses a thousand and one emotions. Some congratulate Francis for the pilgrimage of contrition he is preparing to make in Canada, others deplore that the Vatican monarch must apologize for crimes committed by others. Overview of the comments collected on the square at the end of the mass.
The novena to Saint Anne begins, and the heavy doors of the basilica of the same name open before the disciples, many of whom, on this Sunday evening, rush into the nave to listen to the ceremony.
On the two columns that flank the entrance stand dozens of crutches and walkers, silent witnesses of the miracles attributed to the grandmother of Jesus. According to legend, the saint has the gift of making the paralytic walk, of giving sight to the blind, of healing the sick and of consoling the afflicted.
“They flouted, humiliated, put us down”
It’s a miracle that Nicolas Lalo comes to ask Marie’s mother. “I need a kidney”, he explains, showing, after having removed the imposing golden crucifix which hangs from his neck, the bandage placed on his chest, marks of the dialysis treatments which keep him alive .
Nicolas Lalo traveled from La Romaine for the novena. This sad-looking Innu keeps the faith despite the trauma inflicted on his community in the name of God. A former boarder, he himself suffered the abuses perpetrated by the Church against the Aboriginals.
“They flouted, humiliated, put us on the ground, uprooted us,” he enumerates in a soft voice without anger, but imbued with a sorrow that touches every word, as imprinted since childhood.
“It was Father Alexis Joveneau who baptized me,” says Mr. Lalo. You do not know him ? Look on the Internet. At home, he is called “the demon of the Côte-Nord”. »
This Oblate priest, he said with disgust, “was not working for God. He was working for the devil”. The extent of her predatory nature came to light during the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. He spared no one: after hearing Innu recount the abuse inflicted by the priest, some during their childhood, Joveneau’s niece herself accused him of having committed a litany of sexual assaults against her.
The Pope’s apologies, Mr. Lalo believes, will not heal the wounds the missionary has opened in his community. “It will stay the same. But at least the pope is coming to talk to us. »
“It’s not funny for him”
A lady approaches while Mr. Lalo walks away. “I, the pope, is my boyfriend ! When he turned 80, I sent him a card. We are the same age ! says Marianne Tremblay, enthusiastic and bursting with energy despite her 86 years.
Through the anecdotes that flow — “I helped him find his bus when he was at the Eucharistic Congress in Quebec. At the time, he was not yet pope, but he was lost! —, M.me Tremblay affirms that this trip to Canada “is not funny for François”.
“It’s as if your grandfather had committed a sin and it’s you, his grandson, who should apologize,” she illustrates, looking sorry as her ” boyfriend papal has to do penance on behalf of others.
Gilles and Liliane Côté, both 80, come out of the basilica in turn. “We were there in 1984 for John Paul II. This day obviously occupies a special place in the pantheon of their memories. “It was beautiful, it was pious, we collected ourselves,” says Ms.me Côté seeing again the human tide, dressed in white and yellow, gathered 38 years earlier on the Plains of Abraham. “Here, it’s different… He comes more for the Aboriginals. It’s less for us. »
“It’s okay,” adds her husband. “But it seems like it’s less of our concern. »
With his back straight in his basilica uniform, Lorenzo Simard was immersed in religion early on. “I am an orphan, it was the Sisters of Charity who took me in [et élevé] for the first five years of my life,” explains the volunteer. For him, the pope’s visit does not rekindle his Christian flame. It is rather the idea of experiencing the event up close and telling it to her grandchildren that enchant her. “I’m a believer, but not too much of a believer,” he says in conclusion.
“The Church must recognize this wound”
A procession sets off, marching through the square that stretches out in front of the basilica. The faithful, lanterns in hand, follow the standards of the Church while strolling among the relics of Saint Anne.
“The pope’s apologies allow the reconciliation of Canada with its history, with its wounds and its sins,” says Atasse Koulepe, a 37-year-old father.
According to this Togo native who adopted Quebec seven years ago, Pope Francis’ “penitential pilgrimage” will breathe new life into Christianity. “The proof is that the tickets for the mass were sold out in 10 minutes,” said the young father.
Originally from Africa, he feels solidarity with First Nations, Inuit and Métis. “For people who have experienced slavery and acculturation, the Church represents colonization. For us, there is a parallel to be made with the reality that the Aboriginals lived here, explains Mr. Koulepe. It is necessary, he concludes, that the Church recognizes this wound. We cannot erase it; she won’t go alone. »