The Pope’s visit to Quebec will take place on July 26 and 27, dates on which he must notably make a stop at the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica and on the Plains of Abraham, if his state of health allows it, who has just canceled a planned trip to Africa in early July.
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Le Journal learned, on Friday, the dates and the planned itinerary of the pope’s visit to Quebec which, until now, had not been officially announced. The Holy Father should therefore be present at the Basilica to celebrate the feast of Saint Anne on July 26.
The Minister responsible for Public Security, Geneviève Guilbault, had also advanced on this same date, a week ago, but without any other confirmation.
Another activity in the presence of the pope is to take place on the Plains of Abraham the next day, but the nature of this has not been disclosed.
The Diocese of Quebec, involved in the organization of the papal visit, however did not want to confirm the information.
“I can’t confirm anything until the Vatican has chosen in detail, because we don’t want to disappoint people. Even I will probably learn next week what activities will be selected, ”says Valérie Dion Roberge, spokesperson for the organization of the papal visit.
Compromised visit?
This new information comes as the apostolic trip to Africa, scheduled for July 2-7, has been postponed for health reasons. Suffering from a knee problem, the pope underwent physiotherapy treatments and doctors fear that the results will be compromised by the efforts involved in the trip, according to a statement issued by the Vatican.
This postponement of the visit to Africa may suggest that his visit to Quebec is compromised. It was already known that Pope Francis’ health was fragile and therefore trips could be canceled or postponed.
According to a source familiar with the matter, it was agreed that his stay in Canada would be canceled or postponed if he felt too tired after the one in Africa.
Photo: AFP
For health reasons, Pope Francis has just canceled a trip to Africa scheduled for early July, which raises fears for his visit to Quebec on July 26 and 27. The Holy Father has more and more difficulty moving, as evidenced by this photo taken in recent days.
Lots of organization
This major event requires a lot of preparation, despite the uncertainty about its holding.
According to this same source, the organization is notably facing issues of lack of personnel in the teams dedicated to security. The RCMP is in charge of this component.
“She’s been working on the file for a month and it takes a year to set up an event of this magnitude,” she explains.
Despite everything, no effort is spared and all hopes are allowed for the holding of the papal visit.
In the Diocese of Quebec, we say we are confident.
“And this for two reasons. The first is that we are in daily contact with the Vatican and we have no signals telling us to slow down the preparations, so we continue, ”argues Ms. Dion Roberge.
She adds that the Pope’s circuit in Quebec will be adjusted to his state of health.
“We tried to think of an itinerary that takes into account his health, with break times, small events – few in number – daily. It’s designed to be able to accommodate it,” says Ms. Dion Roberge.
The organization of the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica is also continuing its preparations in anticipation of the major visit.
“It is always worrying about the health of our Holy Father, but we have known for some time about his state of health. It is certain that the cancellation on the side of [l’Afrique] it’s regrettable, but we are continuing in the preparation,” underlines Assunta Bouchard, vice-rector of the Sanctuary of Sainte-Anne.
The mayor of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Jacques Bouchard, agrees with the organization of the Sanctuary.
“We work in the spirit that he will be present on the dates to be announced,” he underlines.
However, he agrees that he must be prepared for any eventuality, including the postponement of the visit. But a few weeks before the event, no delay is allowed.
“We are really in a short period of time to be able to organize this visit. We cannot afford to reduce the speed of preparation,” adds Mr. Bouchard.
