If his apology will be particularly expected, his behavior will be scrutinized. Pope Francis arrived in Canada on Sunday July 24 for a “penitential pilgrimage” during which he should renew his apologies for the role of the Church in the tragedy of residential schools for natives, a gesture expected for years in the country.
>> Pope Francis begins his “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada, where residential school trauma continues to haunt survivors
The pontiff, 85, landed late morning in Edmonton, western Canada for the first of three legs of his trip. He will also travel to Quebec and Iqaluit, a city in the far north of Canada in the Arctic archipelago, before leaving on Friday.
A lighter program because of his state of health: the pope always travels in a wheelchair. Thus, there will never be more than two public meetings per day. Meetings or masses that are not supposed to last more than an hour, 1h30 maximum. This is what was asked of the organizers, but “we will see day by day“, says the Vatican.
In question: François still has pain in his knees. The pope has therefore continued to move around in a wheelchair since the beginning of May or with a cane, without standing for long. So, on Sunday morning, he got on and off the plane on an elevating walkway in his wheelchair, having barely landed. He was welcomed on Sunday by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Inuk Mary Simon, Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in the country, as well as Indigenous leaders at an airport ceremony that began with the sounds of Native American drums and songs. François then rested all day. Nothing was planned in the program to start this trip.
A precarious state of health in plain sight. Here, the natives, to whom Francis reserves his first official words, are all the more grateful that he came despite everything. But this trip is also a test for the rest of the pontificate. Will François stay the course? Will his state of fatigue allow him to travel to kyiv, Ukraine, as he wishes? Certainly not immediately.