The pope lands in Quebec. The pope meets François Legault. The pope asks for forgiveness. The Pope on the Plains of Abraham. The Pope leaves the Old Capital. It’s hard to miss Pope Francis’ historic visit to the province this week as the media raved about it. But the event deserved this attention, say experts and observers, particularly satisfied with the place given to Aboriginal people in the media coverage.
“It can be difficult for some to hear a lot about the pope – and to be reminded of the dramas that motivated his visit – but it was necessary to talk about it as much. It was necessary,” says Innu activist Melissa Mollen Dupuis, who is one of the instigators of the Idle No More movement in Quebec.
Although she is currently visiting the Wet’suwet’en nation in British Columbia, she hasn’t missed anything from the pontiff’s visit to Quebec since Wednesday. Landing at the Jean-Lesage airport, meeting with representatives of the State and the Aboriginal communities, passage in the popemobile on the plains, mass at the basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, speeches and religious ceremonies: each activity of the Pope Francis’ busy schedule has been the subject of extensive media coverage.
Between special broadcasts, live coverage, reports in the front pages of newspapers, opinion pieces or even the many mobile alerts, it is difficult to ignore his arrival. Even the foreign media took a close interest in the event, relaying articles from news agencies when they had not sent journalists on the ground.
“Every visit by the pope, anywhere in the world, is always a high-profile event. But there, it was even more important because it was not just a pastoral visit, but a political one. Pope Francis came in person to apologize for crimes committed by the Church,” said professor of religious studies at the University of Ottawa Emma Anderson.
Remember that Pope Francis came to Canada to apologize to Indigenous peoples for the abuse inflicted on them for decades in residential schools orchestrated by the federal government with the complicity of the Church. He also took advantage of this stay to ask for forgiveness from all the victims of sexual violence perpetrated by priests and nuns.
The times are changing
“It is certain that in the middle of the summer, the Pope’s visit was welcomed as a blessing to fill the pages and feed the channels continuously. Sometimes it was perhaps too much, and we certainly wouldn’t have done the same if it had happened at another time of the year, ”judges Patrick White, professor of journalism at UQAM.
While he finds coverage of the papal visit to be superficial at times — it was often “described as a hockey game” — he nonetheless notes an effort on the part of the media to explain the context and interest in the deeper issues it raises. For example: the role of the Church in residential schools for Aboriginals, the cost of the papal visit or the place of religion in today’s society.
What he especially applauds is the place given to Aboriginal experts to analyze the events, but also to the members of the First Peoples who were able to express their reactions and their criticisms of these excuses both expected.
“It’s not perfect media coverage, but it’s better than I would have hoped for a few years ago. We see that it evolves over time, that the media learn, adapt. It’s encouraging,” adds Melissa Mollen Dupuis. This change, she sees it of course in the specialized media like the site Native space of Radio-Canada, where she has been writing a column since 2016. But also in the traditional media.
“Before, we were just not in the media. For such an event, we would have made an overview by talking about the Pope’s apologies, mentioning that he met with indigenous communities, and that’s it. For once, we were really made room, we were handed the microphone, ”she continues.
But work remains to be done within the journalistic community, according to her, to achieve a better knowledge of these communities and thus better talk about the issues that affect them. “Sometimes it lacked depth, nuance. Some journalists are starting to talk about the “doctrine of discovery” — which the Natives want to revoke — even though it’s been talked about for years. »
She also hopes that Aboriginal issues will not be forgotten the moment the pope leaves Canada. “You should not think that because he apologized, everything is settled. There is still a lot to say,” insists Melissa Mollen Dupuis. “Indigenous news and Indigenous voices need to be normalized in mainstream media. I believe it. We will get there one day, ”she adds.
In the eyes of Jacques Kurtness, one of the few Innu psychologists in Quebec, the coverage of an event like the papal visit is more of a balancing act than one might think. “I understand that we talk about it a lot, and it is important to talk about it, but it is certain that the media loops, as we see on the continuous channels, are like scratching a barely healed sore . It is sure that it will end up bleeding again, ”he illustrates.
He explains that he has received more calls from members of his community in recent weeks because of the visit of the pope, which has revived certain memories and awakened traumas. “Myself, I sometimes cut myself off a bit from the news. After a while, it’s too much. »
Several mental health support organizations have also seen an increase in requests for help from victims and families of victims, in the wake of the arrival of Pope Francis in the country. In particular, Indigenous Services Canada indicated that since the Pope’s arrival in the country, the federal government’s 24-hour crisis support line has received double the number of calls it usually handles.
Do not think that because he apologized, everything is settled. There is still a lot to say. Indigenous news and Indigenous voices need to be normalized in mainstream media. Melissa Mollen Dupuis »