Itinerary released for Pope’s visit to Canada

Pope Francis’ commitment to Indigenous people to visit Canada “where I will be able better to express to you my closeness” now has the concrete form of an official itinerary.

This morning, June 23, the Vatican announced a full slate of events and meetings spanning July 24 to 29, starting in Edmonton and proceeding through Quebec City and finally to Iqaluit before returning to Rome.

Canada’s bishops welcomed the announcement, saying the visit “will focus on Indigenous healing and reconciliation while also providing the shepherd of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics an opportunity to encounter the faithful in Canada.”

In a media release, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said the visit, drawing on the theme of “Walking Together,” will include a combination of public and private events, with an emphasis on Indigenous participation throughout the visit. Free ticketing for public events will be announced in the next few days.

After an official welcome at Edmonton International Airport on Sunday, July 24, the Pope’s full itinerary in Canada gets underway in Maskwacis, an unincorporated hamlet that hosts two Cree communities, about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton, July 25. After meeting with First Nations, Inuit and Metis, Pope Francis will make his first public address of the trip.

From there Pope Francis will return to Edmonton. His 4:45 p.m. meeting with members of the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples will be another occasion to meet with Indigenous Canadians and another formal, public address.

The largest gatherings of the trip will likely be on July 26, which begins with Mass in Commonwealth Stadium. The home of the Edmonton Elks, who last year changed their name from “Eskimos,” the stadium seats over 56,000. That capacity could be higher if the playing field is opened up.

A 5 p.m. prayer service at the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage site, 72 kilometres west of Edmonton, closes the day.

Pope Francis is back on the plane July 27, headed for Quebec City. There he will meet with Governor General Mary Simon, the first Indigenous representative of the Crown in Canada’s history. In Quebec he will also meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

At an afternoon meeting with the official Indigenous organizations (Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Assembly of First Nations, Metis National Council), Quebec officials and the international diplomatic corps, Pope Francis will make another public address.

Pope Francis preaches again at Mass 10 a.m. at the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, 30 kilometres northeast of Quebec City, on July 28.

He meets with seminarians, pastoral workers, religious, bishops, priests and deacons at 5:15 p.m. July 28 at Notre-Dame de Quebec Basilica in Quebec City.

Pope Francis begins his day July 29 meeting with his brother Jesuits in the Quebec Archbishop’s residence. The doors of the Archbishop’s house swing open 10:45 a.m. for a meeting with Indigenous people from Quebec.

The last leg of Pope Francis’ journey in Canada begins 12:45 p.m. with a flight to Iqaluit, arriving at 4:15 in the afternoon. Once there, he will again meet with residential school survivors at the Iqaluit primary school. The meeting with survivors will be followed by a meeting with elders and young people outside the school.

A farewell ceremony will precede the Pope’s night flight directly from Iqaluit to Rome, departing at 5 p.m. and arriving back in Rome at 7:50 a.m. Rome time.

The CCCB said the Pope’s participation at public events will be limited to about an hour due to his advanced age and limitations.

Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith, general coordinator of the papal visit to Canada, said “We know that the Holy Father was deeply moved by his encounter with Indigenous Peoples in Rome earlier this year, and that he hopes to build on the important dialogue that took place. We pray this pilgrimage will serve as another meaningful step in the long journey of healing, reconciliation and hope.”

The papal visit will be the fourth to Canada and the first since Saint John Paul II’s journey in 2002.

Highlights of the Pope’s visit 

July 24 
The Holy Father will arrive in Edmonton, Alberta on July 24. Following a brief airport ceremony, the 85-year-old pontiff will take the remainder of the day to rest.  

July 25 
On July 25, Pope Francis will visit Maskwacis, home to the former Ermineskin Residential School, one of the largest residential school sites in Canada. The Holy Father will join former residential school students from across the country as part of a formal program. Alberta is home to the largest number of former residential schools in Canada. 

Later in the day, the pontiff will visit Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples, a National Indigenous church in downtown Edmonton. Following extensive restoration after a devastating fire in 2020, the parish will re-open its doors after using a nearby school the last several years to offer hospitality, spiritual care and supportive outreach programs serving a diverse urban Indigenous community. This will be an invitation-only event. 

July 26 
July 26 is the feast of St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus, a day of particular reverence for Indigenous Catholics and often the focus of pilgrimage in various parts of the country. In an event that will be open to the public, the Holy Father will celebrate an open-air Mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The facility can accommodate up to 65,000 attendees for a program that will incorporate Indigenous traditions as part of the gathering. 

In the early evening, the Holy Father will travel to Lac Ste. Anne, the site of an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year. Programming will be offered throughout the day leading up to the Holy Father’s participation in a prayer service. 

July 27 
The Holy Father will depart Edmonton for Quebec City. Upon arrival, the Pontiff will visit La Citadelle, where he will take part in private meetings. Pope Francis, as both a spiritual leader and head of state, will also offer a public address. For events in Quebec City, the public is also invited to participate at a dedicated area on the Plains of Abraham, where there will be opportunities on July 27 and 28 for Indigenous cultural expression as well as the chance to view papal events on large screens. The detailed program of activities on the Plains is being developed with Indigenous and community partners. 

July 28 
Pope Francis will travel to Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, where he will celebrate Mass at one of the oldest and most popular pilgrimage sites in North America, drawing more than a million visitors to the site (including annual Indigenous pilgrimages) each year. Organizers anticipate between 10,000 and 15,000 guests may attend with space for guests both inside and outside the basilica. 

Later in the day, His Holiness will meet with bishops, priests, seminarians, consecrated men and women as well as those who work in various church ministries, as is customary with most papal visits. The pope will have the remainder of the evening for rest while a dinner focused on friendship and ongoing dialogue will bring together Indigenous leaders from Eastern Canada and representatives of the Catholic Bishops of Canada.

July 29
Following a private meeting with members of his own religious order (Society of Jesus), Pope Francis will meet with Indigenous leaders from Eastern Canada before departing for Iqaluit, where he will spend the afternoon in a private meeting with residential school survivors before attending a public community event hosted by Inuit. 

The Holy Father will depart for Rome from Iqaluit in the early evening. 

More information and a volunteer portal can be accessed at papalvisit.ca or visitepapale.ca.

The Catholic Register with B.C. Catholic files

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