Pope Francis has left Rome to begin his journey to Canada aimed at reconciling with indigenous peoples to the role of the Catholic Church in residential schools.
A plane carrying the Pope is due to arrive in Edmonton later today.
The Pope is also visiting Quebec City and Iqaluit in the six-day visit.
While in Alberta, Pope is scheduled to visit the former Erminskine Indian Residential School in the Maskawasis community.
‘This is our moment’: Phil Fontaine on the importance, expectations of Pope’s visit to Canada
It is from here that he is expected to apologize to the indigenous people for the abuses committed by him.
The Pope said last week that he hoped this “atonement visit” would contribute to healing and reconciliation.
An estimated 150,000 Indigenous children were forced into residential schools in Canada, where neglect and physical and sexual abuse were rampant. More than 60 percent of the schools were run by the Catholic Church.
Treaty 6 Grand Chief George Arcand Jr. said the survivors have been suffering unimaginable trauma for generations. He said that the Pope’s acceptance of their pain is an important step.
“This is an important historic moment for survivors of the residential school system and the damage caused by the Catholic Church,” Archand Jr. said last week.
On April 1, after several days of meetings with First Nations, Inuit and Métis groups at the Vatican, Francis apologized for the reprehensible conduct of church members attending residential schools. And he promised to go to Canada.
Indigenous representatives told the pope that they were sorry on Canadian soil.
First Nations leaders in Alberta said they hope the Pope’s presence will open old wounds for indigenous peoples and that mental health counselors will be on the sites. But he also hopes that the visit will be a step towards reconciliation.
“We are here with you and we are supporting you,” Desmond Bull, chief of the Louis Bull tribe, told survivors last week.
Erminskin School, south of Edmonton, was one of the largest institutions in Canada. Organizers of the pope’s visit have said they expect around 15,000 people to be in maskavasis to see the 85-year-old pontiff.
Organizers have said the pope will attend public events for about an hour due to his age and physical limitations.
Later on Monday, Francis is to meet with parishioners at an inner-city church in Edmonton. A big outdoor mass is scheduled for Tuesday at the city’s football stadium. Pope then heads to nearby Lac Ste. Anne to take part in an annual pilgrimage.
Francis is scheduled to travel to Quebec City on Wednesday, where he is to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon and later deliver a public speech. Another large gathering is scheduled for the next day in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre.
The trip is scheduled to end in Iqaluit on Friday before Francis heads back to the Vatican.
Thousands of people have traveled from different parts of the country to participate in the programmes.
Mabel Brown, a 77-year-old residential school survivor, traveled from Inuvik to Edmonton to apologize to the Pope and seek forgiveness and healing along with the other survivors. He hopes this is an opportunity to move forward in a good way.
“This is a very important time in history,” she said. “Better things are yet to come.”
The Indian Residential School Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to help residential school survivors and their relatives who are traumatized by recalling past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.
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