Papal visit will be historic, but not without its challenges

National Post, 07 May 2022

A papal visit is always a grace, and Edmonton will be blessed if it is included

There is a sense of heightened expectation here in Edmonton about a potential visit from Pope Francis. An official Vatican announcement must come soon, as the trip is slated for July. But papal health concerns have some worried that the trip, even if announced, may not come off at all.

Catholic media have reported that Vatican advance teams have been spotted in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit.

When Pope Francis met with Indigenous leaders at the Vatican five weeks ago, he offered an apology over the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system and said that he hoped to visit Canada this summer — specifically for the feast day of St. Anne, which is on July 26.

Once the papal itinerary is announced, there will be a bit of squabbling about where he is to go and what he is to visit. That’s normal enough, as there are always more demands on the pope’s time and presence than there are of either to go around.

There won’t be much debate though about what he will say. His address at the Vatican already said what was needed; he will repeat the same in Canada: “The content of the faith cannot be transmitted in a way contrary to the faith itself,” which the residential schools were. Francis will come to proclaim that same gospel of Jesus Christ — it is the only mission the Catholic Church really has, and it cannot be set aside.

Where he will go will, in part, reflect where Pope Francis thinks what he wants to say will be heard and well-received.

For the apology, a residential school site would be most fitting, though one near enough to Edmonton that it can be reached by a short ground trip. Pope Francis, who used a wheelchair in public for the first time on Thursday, has recently been unable to walk, or sometimes even stand, due to ligament damage in his knee. He could not celebrate the Easter Vigil a few weeks ago, the most important mass of the entire liturgical year. During last month’s trip to Malta, he was unable to finish mass.

The good news on the health front is that, when seated, Pope Francis is quite animated, able to speak at length and even embrace those who are brought to him. And there are ways to move an ailing pope around, as we saw in the latter days of St. John Paul II.

Nevertheless, where he goes will be determined by accessibility. No helicopter rides, no long drives, no walks of any length. The residential school site will have to be one that meets those criteria.

There is more to Catholic-Indigenous relations than residential schools, however, and the other sites under apparent consideration reflect that.

“This year, I would like to be with you on those days,” Pope Francis said about St. Anne’s feast. The largest annual Indigenous pilgrimage takes place at Lac Ste. Anne, near Edmonton. Hence, the advance teams in Edmonton were not really a surprise.

For some Indigenous-Canadians, the annual pilgrimage to Lac Ste. Anne is a longstanding tradition. They come by the thousands every July and have done so since before Confederation.

The lake itself was first called Wakamne (God’s Lake) by the local Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, as well as Manito Sahkahigan (Spirit Lake) by the Cree. It has been held to be a sacred place of healing for generations. If Pope Francis chooses to go there, he will add himself to that inter-generational pilgrimage, honouring the long history of shared Catholic and Indigenous exchange of spiritual gifts. A visit to Lac Ste. Anne will honour the entirety of the Catholic-Indigenous encounter, not only the dark chapter of the residential schools.

He signalled as much at the Vatican, when he praised Indigenous Catholics in Canada for the honour they give to St. Anne — the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It was a reminder that the majority of Indigenous-Canadians are Christians, and that reconciliation will draw upon those spiritual resources.

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