(Vatican) Pope Francis will come to Canada July 24-30 and will travel to Edmonton, Quebec and Iqaluit, Nunavut, according to the Holy See news portal.
Posted at 6:30 a.m.
The visit will come after the pontiff issued a historic apology on 1er last April to the Vatican for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the horrors that occurred at residential schools for Aboriginal people in Canada.
Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton, general coordinator of the trip for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), says it will be another milestone for healing and reconciliation.
For his part, the President of the CCCB, Mr.gr Raymond Poisson, says in a statement that the bishops are delighted that the Holy Father has accepted the invitation to continue the journey of healing and reconciliation with the indigenous peoples of Canada.
The places of visit of Pope Francis were chosen by the Vatican and the CECC reports that the mobility and health problems of the head of the Catholic Church had to be taken into account.
Specific sites of visit and an official program should be developed with indigenous partners.
Edmonton has the second highest number of Aboriginal people living in urban centers in Canada. In addition, 25 Indian Residential Schools were located in Alberta, the most of any province or territory in Canada.
Iqaluit has the largest number of Inuit in Canada. Pope Francis was personally invited by the Inuit delegates to visit the North when they met at the end of March at the Vatican.
An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend federal residential schools in Canada, and more than 60% of these institutions were run by members of Roman Catholic religious congregations.