Pope demands prayers for his ‘penitential’ pilgrimage to Canada

Pope Francis has asked for prayers to escort him on his “penitential” pilgrimage to Canada to beg Indigenous groups for abuses inflicted on them by the Catholic church.

While greeting the public in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis noted that “God willing,” he will start a seven-day trip to Canada on July 24..

He said: “Dear brothers and sisters of Canada, as you know I will come among you above all in the name of Jesus to meet and embrace the Indigenous populations.

“Unfortunately, in Canada, many Christians, including some members of religious institutions, contributed to the policies of cultural assimilation, that, in the past, gravely damaged, in various ways, the Native communities.

“For this reason, recently, at the Vatican, I received several groups, representatives of Indigenous peoples, to whom I manifested by sorrow and my solidarity for the evil they have suffered.

“And now I will make a penitential voyage that I hope, with the grace of God, can contribute to the path of healing and reconciliation already undertaken.”

He appealed to the faithful to “accompany me with prayers” during the pilgrimage.

During a meeting with Indigenous representatives in early spring, he tendered a historic apology for the abuses inflicted at residential schools that were run by churches. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission asked him to deliver a papal apology on Canadian soil.

Over 150,000 native children in Canada were compelled to attend state-funded Christian schools from the 19th century till the 1970s in a bid to separate them from their homes and culture. The target was to Christianize and integrate them into mainstream society.

The government of Canada has admitted that physical and sexual abuse was prevalent at the schools and that students were persecuted for speaking their native languages. According to Indigenous leaders, the legacy of abuse and family separation was a major cause of the scourge of alcohol and drug addiction on Canadian reservations.