Pope’s visit | The great Cree chief would have liked more openness of the Catholic Church

The papal visit to Quebec pours too much into the “100% Catholic celebration”, according to the great Cree leader Mandy Gull-Masty.

Mathieu Perreault
The Press

The representative of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) for the Quebec portion of Pope Francis’ trip also believes that an effort should have been made for him to visit a former boarding school in Quebec and regrets that English has a insufficient place in the organization of the three days that the Pope will spend in the Capitale-Nationale.

M^me Gull-Masty deplores that the Quebec Church has decided to bring the pope to the sanctuary of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré rather than to a native boarding school. “I wish there was a place for people who don’t practice. I would have liked the Catholic Church to be more open. »

Will the ceremonies and shows planned on the Plains of Abraham not meet this need? “The emphasis on the Plains of Abraham will not be on reconciliation,” said the Waswanipian leader.

The Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (AFNQL), the Innu Ghislain Picard, confirms that the tone planned so far for the spiritual and cultural performances on the Plains of Abraham on July 27, during that the pope will meet with dignitaries and residential school survivors at the Citadelle of Quebec, is not currently appropriate for natives.

Chief Picard also believes that ensuring that French and English are on par during the papal visit to Quebec is a challenge. “Normally, it is also a visit for the natives of the Maritimes and Ontario. »

That said, Chief Picard believes the AFN has a national role that makes it less responsive to regional needs. “Devotion to Saint Anne is very popular among the natives,” he says.

Walk together

The archbishop of Quebec, Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, points out that more than 70% of the places at the mass of Sainte-Anne are reserved for natives. “The theme of the visit is walk togethersaid M.^gr The cross. We don’t have to be 50-50, but we still have to be together. »

About two-thirds of the tickets reserved for aboriginal people were originally supposed to be distributed by the AFN, the Métis National Assembly (MNC) and ITK, the Inuit umbrella organization. These are the three groups that visited the pope in Rome in early spring. The other third comes from local organizations, namely the AFNQL in Quebec.

The Métis and Inuit have decided to give up all or part of their tickets for Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, which should facilitate the distribution of tickets for Quebec’s indigenous communities, according to Chief Picard. The AFN will take care of communities in Ontario and the Maritimes.

Cardinal Lacroix also points out that the Quebec dioceses have agreed that half of the 20 tickets reserved for each diocese will go to natives. “And in some dioceses, all the tickets have been to natives,” said the prelate.

The basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré will welcome 1,400 people, plus 600 people in a chapel in the basement where the ceremony will be broadcast on screen. In addition, 10,000 people will be able to watch mass in front and behind the basilica on 4 giant screens, and 5,000 others on giant screens in the Domaine Sainte-Anne, a campsite opposite the basilica frequented by many indigenous delegations to the novena. of Sainte-Anne, at the end of July.

The 2,000 tickets distributed free of charge at the beginning of the week give access to the exterior of the basilica and are part of the allochthonous quota.

Both Cardinal Lacroix and Chief Picard admit that a visit to a former boarding school in Quebec would have been desirable, but was impossible given the distances and the fragile health of the pope, who has acute pain in his knees.

In Alberta, François will visit a former boarding school located an hour’s drive from Edmonton.