Pope Francis in Canada

Thomas Reese: Pope Francis' six-day pastoral visit to Canada was a great success. It wasn't until the news conference on the plane back to Rome that it became clear he wasn't properly briefed for his visit.

Colonialism, attempted cultural genocide and the specific evils of the boarding schools are facts of history. But Pope Francis modeled authentic attempts at reconciliation.

Three years after the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, which contained the demand for an apology for residential schools, Francis rushed to canonize a man who perpetrated very similar harms.

Timothy Schmalz says his new sculpture, Mary, Untier of Knots, parallels the pope's actions during his visit to Canada: "looking directly at the church's historical problems" and trying to right them.

Pope Francis on July 29 said that the Catholic Church’s treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada amounted to a cultural “genocide.”

A member of the São Paulo archdiocesan justice and peace commission said he hoped Pope Francis' message about "walking together" with Indigenous, whose have long faced violence over land rights, will be heard throughout Brazilian society.

Meeting Indigenous survivors of residential schools in Canada, Pope Francis entrusted them and the journey of truth, healing and reconciliation to three women: St. Anne, Mary and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

While visiting a remote community in the Arctic, the pope addressed environmental concerns. "This land, like every individual and every people, is also fragile, and needs to be cared for," Francis said.

In a brief protest at a papal Mass in Canada, Indigenous women unfurled a banner that said, "Rescind the Doctrine."

When Pope Francis apologized to Canadian Indigenous for the ways in which many members of the church and of religious communities cooperated in projects of cultural destruction and forced assimilation at residential schools, Native Americans, like many Canadian Indigenous, said forgiveness was hard -- despite their Catholic faith.

The pope's visit showed his respect for Indigenous culture and its incorporation into church life and liturgy. This is as important to the Indigenous peoples of Canada as his apologies.

For the first time during his tour of Canada, Pope Francis on July 28 apologized for the "evil" of clergy sex abuse, vowing that Catholic Church leaders must pledge to "never again" allow such atrocities to occur.

Pope Francis on July 27 again apologized for abuse Canadian Indigenous children suffered at Catholic-run residential schools, but warned that "ideological colonialization" could further undermine Indigenous cultures.

It was a stunning image: Pope Francis briefly wearing a full Indigenous headdress, its rows of soft white feathers fastened in place by a colorful, beaded headband after he apologized for the Catholic Church's role in Canada's "disastrous" residential school system for Indigenous children.

Michael Sean Winters: Pope Francis is not afraid of genuine contrition. And he delivered a master class in taking responsibility for the sins of the past during his meetings with Indigenous people in Canada.

Pope Francis on July 26 appealed to Canadian Catholics to safeguard the memory of grandparents and the elderly as a necessary means of preventing the mistakes of the past and for building a better future.

Francis, the comic strip: Francis is saving all his heavy lifting for the end.

Just hours after Pope Francis begged pardon for the Catholic Church's shameful treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada's abusive residential school system, the pope directed his attention specifically to Catholic worshippers, saying that all churches should be respectful of different cultures and "open and inclusive." 

Pope Francis on July 25 said he was "deeply sorry" for the Catholic Church's "catastrophic" involvement in the "cultural destruction" of Canada's Indigenous peoples through its participation in running the country's residential schools.

After a flight of more than 10 hours from Rome, Pope Francis landed in Edmonton on July 24 and met briefly at the airport with Indigenous leaders, Canada's governor general and prime minister before heading to the local seminary for a rest.

Restitution of Indigenous and colonial-era artifacts, a pressing debate for museums and national collections across Europe, is one of the many agenda items awaiting Pope Francis on his trip to Canada.

Ahead of July papal trip, many Indigenous Canadians are hoping for concrete action from Pope Francis, such as financial support, release of residential school records, and the Vatican returning Indigenous artifacts.

Francis' 37th international trip as pope, planned for July 24-30, is a high-stakes journey where he is expected to apologize to Canada's Indigenous peoples for abuses at Catholic-run residential schools.

Pope Francis on July 17 asked for prayers to accompany him on what he called his "penitential" pilgrimage to Canada to apologize to Indigenous groups for abuses inflicted by the Catholic church.

Commentary: By recognizing relationship and building patterns of atoning for our failings, we can grow out of our non-Indigenous cultural limitations, such as our disconnection from relationship with the life around us.

The Vatican on June 23 released the itinerary for Pope Francis' July 24-30 visit to Canada, providing a sign he intends to go ahead with the trip despite knee problems that forced him to cancel a similarly difficult visit to Africa.

Indigenous leaders met with Canadian bishops on June 1 and were told Pope Francis won't add more stops, as they requested, to his trip to Canada, where he will apologize in person for the abuse suffered by Indigenous people at the hands of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis will make a much anticipated visit to Canada from July 24-30.