Pope Francis arrived in Canada to start a six-day visit that will be marked by a request for forgiveness indigenous peoples for abuses committed in boarding schools run by the Church between the late 19th century and the 1990s.
The pontiff landed this Sunday at 11:08 a.m. local time (2:08 p.m. in Argentina) at the Edmonton International Airport, in the west of the country, where he arrived accompanied by media aboard the papal plane after a 10-hour trip from Rome before being received. on the runway for the premier Justin Trudeau.
“It’s a Penitential Journey”the 85-year-old pontiff reiterated during the flight, before greeting the journalists who accompanied him.
Prior to his departure from Rome, the pope sent a message on Twitter to his “dear brothers and sisters from Canada”.
Pope Francis arriving in Canada. Reuters photo
six days
“I come among you to meet with the indigenous peoples. I hope that, with the grace of God, my penitential pilgrimage can contribute to the path of reconciliation already begun. Please join me in prayer“, wrote.
The six-day visit will probably be dedicated to the native Amerindian populations that today represent 5% of the population of Canada and who identify themselves in three groups: First Nations, Metis and Inuit.
In n Maskwacis, Alberta, the reservation where Pope Francis will go. AFP photo
These last were subjected for decades to a policy of forced assimilation, mainly through a system of pensions for children, subsidized by the State but administered mostly by the Church.
About 150,000 indigenous childrens were enrolled from the late 19th century through the 1990s in 139 residential schools, where they spent months or years isolated from their families, language and culture.
Many of them were physically and sexually abused by principals and teachers and up to 6,000 deaths from disease, malnutrition or negligence.
“cultural genocide”
Canada is slowly opening its eyes to this past described as “cultural genocide” by a national commission of inquiry.
“This historic visit is an important part of the healing journey,” but “much remains to be done,” George Arcand Jr., Grand Chief of the Treaty 6 Confederation of First Nations, said Thursday in Edmonton.
The Argentine pontiff, who plans to reiterate the apologies presented in Rome to the Canadian delegations that visited him in April, could also make some symbolic gestures, such as the restitution of indigenous art objects preserved in the Vatican for decades.
Source: AFP and ANSA
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