POPE AT AUDIENCE: CANADA, A PENITENTIAL VISIT “LIKE NO OTHER” – POPE FRANCIS ON 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF BEIRUT EXPLOSION

Pope Francis resumed the weekly general audience today, welcoming pilgrims in the air-conditioned Paul VI Hall, given the extremely high temperatures in Rome. He walked into the hall from an adjacent anteroom, walking slowly and using a cane. Pilgrims were delighted to have the Holy Father once again in their midst!

POPE AT AUDIENCE: CANADA, A PENITENTIAL VISIT “LIKE NO OTHER”

Pope Francis resumed the weekly Wednesday general audience after a July break, and dedicated his catechesis to his recent Apostolic Journey to Canada, a penitential pilgrimage dedicated to embracing indigenous peoples who suffered injustices over the centuries.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov (vaticannews)

The audience was held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall due to the intense summer heat in the Italian capital.

During his catechesis, the Pope recalled his “penitential pilgrimage” to the North American country, focused on healing and reconciliation with the nation’s indigenous peoples who suffered attempts to erase their culture and identity.

These injustices were perpetrated in the infamous historic government-funded residential schools system, with the cooperation of many members of the local churches.

In his remarks, the Pope remembered his time in Edmonton, Quebec, and his stop in the Arctic city of Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut Territory.

A “penitential” visit like no other

The Holy Father said it was “a visit like no other.”

“In fact, the main motivation was to meet the indigenous peoples to express to them my closeness and my sorrow, and to ask for forgiveness – to ask for forgiveness – for the harm done to them by those Christians, including many Catholics, who in. the past collaborated in the forced assimilation and enfranchisement* policies of the governments of the time.”

In this sense, the Pope explained, his journey “was undertaken in Canada to write a new page,” and continue to walk together, always closer, with the indigenous peoples.

The Pope pointed out how apropos the motto of “Walking Together” was for the journey.

Repentance and reconciliation

Much analysis, the Pope suggested, “shows that, on the one hand, some men and women of the Church have been among the most decisive and courageous supporters of the dignity of the indigenous peoples, coming to their defence and contributing to raising awareness of their languages and cultures.”

“But, on the other hand,” he added, “there was unfortunately no shortage of those (who) participated in programmes that today we understand are unacceptable and contrary to the Gospel.”

In this sense, he reiterated, this visit was penitential, and even if there were many joyful moments, “the meaning and tone of the whole was one of reflection, repentance and reconciliation.”

Rejecting mindset of colonization and promoting indigenous

In Edmonton, he said, there was an honest and sorrowful remembrance of the past, which continued in Quebec with “a plea” for reconciliation born of hope through Christ, and concluded, in Iqaluit, with confident trust in the “healing” made possible by the power of the Risen Lord to make all things new.

The Church’s desire, as it explicitly acknowledged the wrongs of the past, the Holy Father suggested, rejects the mindset of colonization, and esteems and promotes the indigenous cultures.

Pope Francis concluded by praying, “May the fortitude and pacific action of the indigenous peoples of Canada be an example for all indigenous peoples not to close themselves up, but to offer their indispensable contribution for a more fraternal humanity, that knows how to love creation and the Creator, in harmony with creation, in harmony between you all.”

* (“Enfranchisement” was the process of changing the civil status of Indigenous peoples from “Indians” to full Canadian citizens – a process of assimilation that often came at the expense of their indigenous identity. Originally voluntary, enfranchisement became compulsory in 1876 and remained so into the 1960s.)

POPE FRANCIS ON 2^ND ANNIVERSARY OF BEIRUT EXPLOSION

During his weekly general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis recalled the second anniversary of the devastating Beirut Port explosion.

Speaking of the “dear Lebanese people, “ he told pilgrims, “I pray that everyone may be consoled by faith, comforted by justice and truth, which can never be hidden. I hope that Lebanon, with the help of the international community, will continue on the path of rebirth, remaining faithful to its vocation to be a land of peace and pluralism, where communities of different religions can live in fraternity.”

In fact, it was on August 4. 2020 that an explosion occurred at the Beirut port that was so powerful that it killed over 215 and injured thousands, and so extensive that massive damage was caused to area buildings, stores, offices, and churches. Beirut will be rebuilding for years. (vatican media)

To read more: Pope Francis recalls second anniversary of Beirut Port explosion – Vatican News

 

VATICAN INSIDER: THE BIRTH OF WORLD DAY OF GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY (PART II) – POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA, DAY 6: MEETINGS, A JOURNEY TO IQALUIT, DEPARTURE FOR ROME

VATICAN INSIDER: THE BIRTH OF WORLD DAY OF GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY (PART II)

Last Sunday, July 24, the Church marked the Second World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. This weekend, in the interview segment of “Vatican Insider, I replay, in Part II, my conversation of last July with Catherine Wiley, grandmother and founder of Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA) and Marilyn Henry who coordinates CGA in the United States. Both women are grandmothers and both have exceptional lives and stories.

Catherine was truly the catalyst for this now annual World Day. For years, she had an idea, a dream that, after meetings with Vatican officials and Pope Francis, culminated in last year’s First World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. A great story of love and determination! And teamwork with Marilyn at her side!

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA, DAY 6: MEETINGS, A JOURNEY TO IQALUIT, DEPARTURE FOR ROME

Today, July 29, is the longest day of the papal trip for Francis, a day in which he has several morning encounter in Quebec, departs for Iqaluit for further meetings with indigenous and then takes leave of Canada for Rome.

As I write, the Pope has started his day that included private mass and a meeting with Canadian Jesuits (Pope meets with Canada’s Jesuits – Vatican News).

He just concluded his 25-minute meeting and talk with indigenous populations at the archbishop’s house in Quebec, telling them he “leaves Canada greatly enriched by indigenous peoples.” (Pope: ‘I leave Canada greatly enriched by indigenous peoples’ – Vatican News) 

Francis then greeted and thanked the personnel of the archbishop’s residence, and is on his way to the Quebec airport for the three-hour flight to Iqaluit.

Home to about 7,500 people, half of whom are Inuit who have fished here for thousands of years, Iqaluit – “the place of many fish” – is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut and the northernmost city in Canada.

In Iqaluit, at the La Nakasuk Elementary School, he will meet privately with a group of alumni of the residential schools. Nakasuk was an Inuk born in the Northwest Territories, now Nunavut, at the beginning of the twentieth century, who is considered the founder of Iqaluit.

The school building is one of the four elementary schools in the city and is distinguished by its unique, hermetic shape due to the scarcity of windows, a two story fibreglass ice block inspired by the traditional igloo.

After his meeting, Francis will go to an adjacent square to meet with young people and the elderly where traditional songs, dances and music will be performed, and the Pope will deliver his final speech of this trip.

The papal plane departs for Rome at 6:45 pm local time and is scheduled to land on Saturday, July 30 at 7:50 am Rome time.

 

POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA: DAY 5, MASS AT SHRINE OF SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BEAUPRE AND VESPERS

JUST IN FROM HOLY SEE PRESS OFFICE 7 PM: “On the way back from the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Pope Francis stopped to meet the guests of the Fraternité St Alphonse Reception and Spirituality Center. Welcomed in the garden of the structure by permanent guests and by those who habitually frequent the center, in total about 50 people, including elderly people, people suffering from various addictions and HIV / AIDS patients, and by the director in charge, Fr André Morency , the Pope talked informally with them, listening to their stories and collecting their prayers. At the end, in greeting them, he gave them an icon of the virgin ‘Our Lady of Jerusalem’.”

The icon presented by the Pope has a beautiful, carved wood frame:

POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA: DAY 5, MASS AT SHRINE OF SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BEAUPRE AND VESPERS

THIS MORNING at 10 am local time, Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Shine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in eastern Canada, near Quebec, and recalls that Jesus always walks with us to help us move beyond our failures toward hope in God. At the start of the fifth day of his Apostolic Journey to Canada, Pope Francis presided over Mass in the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, some 30 kilometers east of Quebec. The Pope traveled by car to the oldest pilgrimage site in North America, which was first built in 1658 to house a miraculous statue of Jesus’ grandmother.

In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on the conclusion of Luke’s Gospel, which recounts the journey of the disciples to Emmaus and their encounter with Jesus, whom they did not initially recognize. Pope at Mass in Canada: ‘Jesus leads us from failure to hope and healing’ – Vatican News

THIS AFTERNOON at 5:15 local time, in Quebec’s Notre Dame cathedral, Pope Francis will celebrate Vespers with the bishops of Canada, together with priests, deacons, consecrated people, seminarians and pastoral workers. After an introduction by the president of the Canadian Episcopal Conference, Bishop Raymond Poisson of Saint-Jérôme e di Mont-Laurier, vespers will be celebrated in French, English and Latin, followed by a brief reading in French and then Pope Francis’ homily.

Following vespers, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, archbishop of Quebec, will accompany the Holy Father to the tomb of St. Francis de Laval for silent prayer. Several relics of Canadian saints are currently exposed for veneration in the cathedral.

 

POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA: TUESDAY MASS IN EDMONTON, AN ODE TO GRANDPARENTS – WEDNESDAY IN QUEBEC: CIVIL AUTHORITIES, DIPLOMATS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA

TUESDAY MASS IN EDMONTON, AN ODE TO GRANDPARENTS

During Mass celebrated at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Tuesday – the feast day of Sts Joachim and Anne – Pope Francis reflects on the important role of grandparents in passing down the faith, and highlights the need to preserve the memory of those who preceded us. In the homily, the Holy Father invited everyone to think about their own grandparents, as the Church celebrates the feast day of Saints Joachim and Anne, in whose home the child Jesus came to know his relatives and “experienced the closeness, tender love and wisdom of His grandparents.” Francis highlighted that we are children of a history that needs to be preserved – not isolated individuals – as no one comes into the world detached from others. Thus, our roots and families in which we grew up are part of a unique history that preceded us and gave us life. Pope in Canada: Preserve your history to protect your future – Vatican News

WEDNESDAY IN QUEBEC: CIVIL AUTHORITIES, DIPLOMATS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Wednesday morning at 8 am local time, The Pope greeted the personnel of St. Joseph Seminary, his home in Edmonton for 3 nights, and gifted the seminary a statue of St. Joseph before leaving for Edmonton airport for his flight to Quebec, due to land just after 3 pm, local time.

His only meeting in Quebec on Wednesday will be at La Citadelle, the official residence of the governor general of Canada where he will meet with Governor General Mary May Simon, Prime Minister Trudeau, civil authorities, representatives of indigenous peoples and members of the diplomatic corps. Mary May Simon is the daughter of an Englishman, a fur trader in the Hudson’s Bay Company, and an Inuk, and has dedicated most of her life to helping indigenous peoples, especially the Inuit.

Photo pris le 09 aout 2011 en matinee par le Cpl Robert GRL de la Citadelle de Quebec de concert avec l’aide du 430 ETAH.

La Citadelle is the largest British fortress in North America. Located at the top of Cap Diamant in the Old Quebec historical quarter, the start-shaped citadelle was built by British engineers between 1820 and 1850. It is a world heritage UNESCO site.

 

 

THE POPE IN CANADA: MEETING WITH INDIGENOUS, MASS IN EDMONTON, VESPERS IN LAC STE. ANNE

THE POPE IN CANADA: MEETING WITH INDIGENOUS, MASS IN EDMONTON, VESPERS IN LAC STE. ANNE

Yesterday afternoon, Monday, Pope Francis met with members of the Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, and said reconciliation is a gift of Christ to move forward in the wake of the pain caused by the Church’s role in the Canadian residential school system. Pope: ‘Christ, crucified in Canada’s residential school students, reconciles us’ – Vatican News

As I write, Pope Francis is celebrating Mass in Commonwealth stadium in Edmonton.

This afternoon, local time, Pope Francis will travel to Lac Ste. Anne, where he will participate in the Lac Ste Anne pilgrimage and preside over Vespers.

Today, July 26, is, of course, the feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, our Blessed Mother and grandparents of Jesus.

Lac Ste Anne is a wide and shallow lake about 72km west of Edmonton and has been a Catholic pilgrimage destination since the late 19th century. Thousands of pilgrims come to this lake each year to bathe in its holy waters and pray.

Called ‘Lake of God’, by the Nakota Sioux and ‘Lake of the Spirit’ by the Cree people, it was named ‘Lac Ste Anne” by Father Jean-Baptiste Thibault, a missionary and the first priest to establish a permanent Catholic mission, in 1842, in Alberta, in this place already considered sacred for generations and known to the natives as a place of healing.

The first annual pilgrimage was organised by the Oblates in July 1889 and 400 people took part. In 1926 5,500 people took part in the pilgrimage. It has since continued each year, during the week of 26 July, the feast of St Anne, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus, who is venerated in many indigenous Canadian communities. It has also become one of the most important spiritual gatherings for pilgrims in North America and is particularly dear to the First Nations peoples, who continue to attend annually.

The site was declared a National Historic Site by the Canadian government in 2004. (Vatican news)

 

“WALKING TOGETHER”: POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA

While I have this first report on Pope Francis’ historic trip to Canada, I will not be covering every papal event throughout his stay. EWTN television has some very thorough coverage planned with some terrific guests with commentaries, information and history, including the always very well-informed Fr. Raymond de Souza, a native of Canada. In addition CNA, EWTN’s news network, is covering every event at length, as is, of course, the Vatican news portal (vaticannews.va)

“WALKING TOGETHER”: POPE FRANCIS IN CANADA

As you know, Pope Francis departed for Canada on Sunday morning on the 37^th foreign trip of his papacy. He arrived in Edmonton, western Canada, in late morning, local time. Edmonton is 8 hours behind Rome. Pope Francis will be in Canada until early Friday evening, leaving Iqaluit in northern Canada for Rome at 6:30 pm local time.

Sunday also marked the Second World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. The cardinal vicar of Rome celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for this world day, and the Holy Father spoke of this during an encounter with the 80 journalists on the papal plane, saying, “It’s Grandparents’ Day…. the ones who have passed on the history, traditions, habits and many other values….(they are) the roots who must be treasured.”

In remarks with the media, Francis stressed that his current trip is a “penitential pilgrimage” aimed, as he said last Sunday at the Angelus, at reconciliation and healing with Canada’s indigenous peoples. In a dark period of the nation’s history, indigenous children were separated from their families and communities and forcibly integrated into Canadian culture by placing them in residential schools. Most of the schools were church-run, with many administered by Catholic religious orders.

Last March, Francis met with representatives of the First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples in the Vatican, apologizing for that they suffered, often at the hands of religious orders.

While in Canada, it is expected that Francis will issue an apology in the name of the Church for abuses committed against indigenous students in Catholic-run residential schools.

UPDATE: Pope Francis made a passionate apology in his first speech to indigenous in Canada: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-07/canada-pope-reiterates-shame-for-indian-residential-schools.html

Numerous meetings with indigenous peoples mark Francis’ five days in Canada, including two meetings Monday in Edmonton, one of which is with indigenous Catholics. (vatican media)

Wednesday in Quebec the Pope has a meeting with indigenous and several are on his itinerary Friday, the longest day of the trip when, after a 5-hour flight, he arrives in Iqaluit. Home to about 7,500 people, half of whom are Inuit who have fished here for thousands of years, Francis will meet the former residential school students, young people and elders before departing for Rome. Iqaluit – “the place of many fish” – is the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, one of the former Northwest Territories. It is the northernmost city in Canada.

Only two events are scheduled for each day, except for Wednesday when there is a single event at the Citadel in Quebec, an encounter with civil authorities, representatives of the indigenous populations and the diplomatic corps.

This morning, the Pope was driven by car to Maskwacis, 100 kilometers from Edmonton, for his first meeting with indigenous. Maskwacis in the Cree language means “bear hill.”

The Pope was welcomed at the entrance of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows church by the parish priest and some elders of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit populations, The Pope, members of the papal entourage and chiefs of the indigenous peoples then continued on foot to the cemetery, accompanied by drum sounds. Pope Francis was in in a wheel chair, from which he prayed silently.

A monument honoring the survivors of the Ermineskin Indian Residential School, Maskwacis, Alberta (Vatican media)

All then proceeded to the Bear Park Pow-Wow Grounds, where a ceremony, including dance and music and invocations by the indigenous and the papal address took place.

Francis is the second Pope to make an apostolic journey to Canada. Pope John Paul made three trips in 1984, 1987 and 2002. He met with indigenous peoples several times, during which he praised their culture and traditions as well as called for respect for their rights. He acknowledged that, “the hour has come to bind up wounds, to heal all divisions.”

On one trip, he said, “Not only is Christianity relevant to the Indian people, but Christ, in the members of His Body, is Himself Indian.”

Given the pain and discomfort he has been suffering for several months due to issues with a knee ligament and a fracture in a bone of the right knee, the fact that Pope Francis has made every effort to fulfil a promise he made to the indigenous in March to travel to Canada is quite remarkable.

I’m sure you saw the photos taken yesterday of the Holy Father being brought aboard the ITA plane by an elevator, given the difficulty of climbing the stairway. He deplaned in the same manner. (Daniel Ibanez EWTN)

A golf cart was made available for the Pope for his morning encounter in Maskwacis with the indigenous but he stayed in the wheelchair.

 

 

POPE FRANCIS ON HIS UPCOMING TRIP TO CANADA, HEALTH ISSUES – POPE FRANCIS: DIGITAL MEDIA RAISES SERIOUS ETHICAL ISSUES

POPE FRANCIS ON HIS UPCOMING TRIP TO CANADA, HEALTH ISSUES

Sunday, July 17, 12,000 faithful populated St. Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus with Pope Francis, standing close at times to the two fountains in the square to cool off from the sweltering heat that has enveloped Italy for many weeks.

After the Angelus, Francis asked for prayers, saying, “I’m about to make a penitential pilgrimage that I hope, with God’s grace, will contribute to the journey of healing and reconciliation already undertaken.” He explained that, “unfortunately, in Canada, many Christians, including some members of religious institutes, contributed to the policies of cultural assimilation that, in the past, have severely harmed indigenous communities in various ways.”

The Holy Father leaves Sunday, July 24 for a multi-city visit to Canada, arriving back in Rome on July 30.

Addressing Canadians specifically, the Pope Sunday recalled a series of meetings he held in the Vatican in April with delegations from Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, listening to stories about life in the residential school system. As Vatican news reported, this was the forcible integration of indigenous children into Canadian culture by separating them from their families and communities and placing them in boarding schools.

On April 1, Pope Francis expressed his profound sorrow to the delegations, asking for pardon for the suffering inflicted by some members of the Catholic Church. He also mentioned he wanted to travel to Canada.

The fact the Canada trip is still on the papal agenda seems to be positive news about the Pope’s health.

In a recent interview, he spoke about his cancelled July trip to Africa: “I suffered so much for not being able to do this trip, but the doctor told me not to do it because I was not able to do it yet. I’ll go to Canada because the doctor told me at that time, ‘With 20 more days you will recover.’

Francis further explained his knee problem: “A ligament became inflamed and, because I walk badly (due to sciatica), this …. moved a bone and caused a fracture…and that’s the problem. …I am slowly improving, and technically the calcification has already occurred, thanks to all the work done with the laser … and magnet therapy. Now I have to start moving because there’s a danger of losing muscle tone if one doesn’t move.”

POPE FRANCIS: DIGITAL MEDIA RAISES SERIOUS ETHICAL ISSUES

Pope Francis says SIGNIS “can play an important role” in meeting the challenge of “toxicity, hate speech, and fake news” in the media.

By Christopher Wells (vaticannews)

Although modern means of communication can be “a powerful means of fostering communion and dialogue within our human family,” they can also become “places of toxicity, hate speech, and fake news,” warns Pope Francis, in a message to the lay communications network SIGNIS, which is holding its annual World Congress in Seoul in August.

“It is appropriate,” the Pope says, “that, in these days marked by new outbreaks of violence and aggression in our world, you have chosen as the theme of your World Congress ‘Peace in the Digital World.”

Serious ethical issues

Pope Francis notes, “The use of digital media, especially social media, has raised a number of serious ethical issues that call for wise and discerning judgment on the part of communicators, and all those concerned with authenticity and the quality of human relationships.” SIGNIS, he continues, “can play an important role” in meeting this challenge, especially through “media education, networking Catholic media, and countering lies and misinformation.”

In his message, the Pope encourages SIGNIS members to persevere in their efforts by helping people “develop a sound critical sense, learning to distinguish truth from falsehood, right from wrong, good from evil, and to appreciate the importance of working for justice, social concord, and respect for our common home.” At the same time, recognizing that many communities have limited access to “the digital space,” he calls on SIGNIS communicators to make “digital inclusion a priority” in their planning.

The value of listening

The Holy Father also calls attention to the importance of listening “as the first and indispensable ingredient of dialogue and good communication,” an issue he highlighted in his message for World Communication Day 2022.

“Communication is not just a profession, but a service to dialogue and understanding between individuals and larger communities in the pursuit of a serene and peaceful coexistence.”

Listening, he says, “is likewise essential to the synodal journey that the whole Church has undertaken in these years,” recalling the ongoing Synod on Synodality that will culminate at the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2023.

“It is my hope,” Pope Francis says, “that, in your communication, you will contribute to this process by assisting the holy and faithful people of God in our commitment to listen to one another, to the Lord’s will, and to grow in the awareness that we participate in a communion that precedes and includes us.”

“In this way, your efforts to foster ‘Peace in the Digital World’ will help to create an ever more ‘symphonic’ Church, whose unity is expressed in a harmonious and sacred polyphony.”

VATICAN INSIDER: THE BIRTH OF AN APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION – POPE FRANCIS: INDIGNATION, SHAME AND AN APOLOGY TO CANADA’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

VATICAN INSIDER: THE BIRTH OF AN APOSTOLIC CONSTITUTION

My Special this week in the interview segment is about the just-published Apostolic Exhortation “Praedicate Evangelium,” (Preach The Gospel) by Pope Francis. Nine years in the making, this document focuses on the reform of the Roman Curia, the Vatican-based central government of the Catholic Church. It was published March 19th with absolutely no fanfare or pre-announcement and only in Italian. We await news of the other major language translations.

I look at some of the unusual features of the constitution and its presentation, and review some of the questions that surfaced with what seemed to be its hasty publication. In addition, I dissect it to explain all the changes that will take place in the Roman Curia. It goes into effect on Pentecost, June 5, 2022.

The last such constitution, Pastor Bonus, was written by Pope John Paul in 1988.

IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on http://www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to https://www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest for whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

POPE FRANCIS: INDIGNATION, SHAME AND AN APOLOGY TO CANADA’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Pope Francis ended his busy Friday morning with a long-awaited, moving and also extremely colorful audience with Canadian indigenous peoples including Métis, Inuit and First Nations.

The importance of this audience cannot be stressed enough, although it seems an Act II will be played out in Canada with a future papal trip, very likely this summer.

By way of review, you might recall that, during the Angelus on June 6, 2020, the Pontiff shared his dismay with the world over the dramatic news, which had arrived a few weeks earlier, of the discovery in Canada of a mass grave in the Kamloops Indian Residential School with human remains of over 200 indigenous Canadians. A macabre discovery, a symbol of a past of residential cruelty in the country when, from 1880 to the last decades of the 20th century, in institutions financed by the government and managed mostly by Christian organizations, the aim was to educate and convert indigenous young people and to assimilate them. in traditional Canadian society, through systematic abuse.

Canada’s bishops have since created a series of projects to support indigenous communities in a process of reconciliation whose apex was this week’s meetings of the Pope with three of those communities.

Friday, representatives of each delegation prayed and spoke in their native languages and, after the papal talk, danced, played drums and violins and sang in their native languages.

Eye-catching, bright-colored native dress and headdresses filled the Clementine Hall with a vibrancy rarely seen in these hallowed rooms of the Apostolic Palace.

One could feel the emotions of the Inuits, Métis and First Nations people as they prayed, danced and sang, as they listened to the Holy Father and, towards the end, as they presented him with gifts.

Numerous gifts, in fact, were presented to the Pope including snow shoes, stoles and a cross made of whale bone on silver in a sealskin pouch. He in turn gifted each group with specially boxed bronze olive branch sculptures, a sign of peace and reconciliation. (Vatican media photos)

Snow shoes:

In his talk, the Pope expressed his sorrow for past maltreatment of indigenous by Catholics and asked the Lord for forgiveness. He told the indigenous and the bishops who accompanied them he will be travelling to Canada, but “not in winter” to meet them again.

Pope Francis’ complete talk translated into English can be found here: Like branches of a tree – L’Osservatore Romano

Pope Francis began by noting how, over past days, “I have listened attentively to your testimonies. I have brought them to my thoughts and prayers, and reflected on the stories you told and the situations you described. I thank you for having opened your hearts to me, and for expressing, by means of this visit, your desire for us to journey together.”

He then gave an overview of “a few of the many things that have struck me,” including an indigenous saying: “In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation”. These are wise words, farsighted and the exact opposite of what often happens in our own day, when we run after practical and immediate goals without thinking of the future and generations yet to come. For the ties that connect the elderly and the young are essential.”

Francis spoke of how “you compared yourselves to the branches of a tree. Like those branches, you have spread in different directions, you have experienced various times and seasons, and you have been buffeted by powerful winds. Yet you have remained solidly anchored to your roots, which you kept strong.”

Meditating on those roots, the Pope returned to the image of a tree, saying, “yet that tree, rich in fruit, has experienced a tragedy that you described to me in these past days: the tragedy of being uprooted. The chain that passed on knowledge and ways of life in union with the land was broken by a colonization that lacked respect for you, tore many of you from your vital milieu and tried to conform you to another mentality. In this way, great harm was done to your identity and your culture, many families were separated, and great numbers of children fell victim to these attempts to impose a uniformity based on the notion that progress occurs through ideological colonization, following programs devised in offices rather than the desire to respect the life of peoples. This is something that, unfortunately, and at various levels, still happens today: ideological colonization.”

“Listening to your voices,” continued Francis, “I was able to enter into and be deeply grieved by the stories of the suffering, hardship, discrimination and various forms of abuse that some of you experienced, particularly in the residential schools. It is chilling to think of determined efforts to instil a sense of inferiority, to rob people of their cultural identity, to sever their roots, and to consider all the personal and social effects that this continues to entail: unresolved traumas that have become intergenerational traumas.

The Pope said with sorrow, “All this has made me feel two things very strongly: indignation and shame. Indignation, because it is not right to accept evil and, even worse, to grow accustomed to evil, as if it were an inevitable part of the historical process. No! … The memory of the past must never be sacrificed at the altar of alleged progress.”

“I also feel shame,” explained the Pope. “I have said this to you and now I say it again. I feel shame – sorrow and shame – for the role that a number of Catholics, particularly those with educational responsibilities, have had in all these things that wounded you, in the abuses you suffered and in the lack of respect shown for your identity, your culture and even your spiritual values. All these things are contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“For the deplorable conduct of those members of the Catholic Church, I ask for God’s forgiveness and I want to say to you with all my heart: I am very sorry. And I join my brothers, the Canadian bishops, in asking your pardon. Clearly, the content of the faith cannot be transmitted in a way contrary to the faith itself: Jesus taught us to welcome, love, serve and not judge; it is a frightening thing when, precisely in the name of the faith, counter-witness is rendered to the Gospel.”

The Holy Father also said he thinks “with gratitude of all those good and decent believers who, in the name of the faith, and with respect, love and kindness, have enriched your history with the Gospel. I think with joy, for example, of the great veneration that many of you have for Saint Anne, the grandmother of Jesus. This year I would like to be with you on those days. Today we need to re-establish the covenant between grandparents and grandchildren, between the elderly and the young, for this is a fundamental prerequisite for the growth of unity in our human family.”

Francis concluded by saying, “I have been enriched by your words and even more by your testimonies. You have brought here, to Rome, a living sense of your communities. I will be happy to benefit again from meeting you when I visit your native lands, where your families live. I won’t come in the winter! So I will close by saying “Until we meet again” in Canada, where I will be able better to express to you my closeness. In the meantime, I assure you of my prayers, and upon you, your families and your communities I invoke the blessing of the Creator.”

He closed by addressing everyone in English: “I thank all of you! Blessing of the Holy Father God bless you all – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Pray for me, don’t forget! I’ll pray for you. Thank you very much for your visit. Bye bye!”

THE POPE MEETS THE DELEGATIONS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FROM CANADA: “HE LISTENED TO OUR PAIN”

THE POPE MEETS THE DELEGATIONS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FROM CANADA: “HE LISTENED TO OUR PAIN”

It was a fascinating and historical morning in the Vatican in many ways, not the least of which were two separate meetings with the Holy Father and the Métis and Inuit indigenous peoples of Canada, along with the bishops of their dioceses. A meeting with First Nations indigenous is scheduled for March 28 and then an audience with the Pope on April 1.

As the Canadian bishops conference has published in recent weeks and months, as a lead-in to this week’s encounters in Rome, “over the past year, a national conversation on the tragic history of residential schools in Canada has unfolded throughout our country.

“The Catholic Bishops of Canada are profoundly saddened by the residential school legacy and remain fully committed to working with Indigenous Peoples and communities across the country to support healing and reconciliation.  We also sorrowfully acknowledge the historical and ongoing trauma and the legacy of suffering and challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples that continue to this day.

“This encounter with the Holy Father will include Indigenous survivors, Elders, knowledge keepers and youth meeting with Pope Francis.”

Pope Francis and Métis (Vatican media)

“As Canadian Bishops, we are grateful to these delegates for walking with us on this journey and to Pope Francis for his attention to their suffering and his deeply-held commitment to social justice,” said CCCB President, the Most Rev. Raymond Poisson.

“We expect that these private encounters will allow the Holy Father to meaningfully address both the ongoing trauma and legacy of suffering faced by Indigenous Peoples to this day, as well as the role of the Catholic Church in the residential school system, which contributed to the suppression of Indigenous languages, culture and spirituality.”

Pope Francis and Inuit (Vatican media)

A very brief Holy See Press Office bulletin and a summary of that bulletin on the English language website of Vatican News were helpful only to those who know the entire story behind today’s encounter.

Holy See Press Office bulletin (in Italian): This morning, in the course of two successive audiences, Pope Francis met with two groups of representatives of Canadian indigenous peoples, about 10 delegates from the Métis and about 8 from the Inuit, accompanied by some Bishops of the Bishops’ Conference of Canada. Each meeting lasted about an hour and was characterized by the Pope’s desire to listen and make room for the painful stories brought by the survivors. The meetings and listening will continue in the coming days according to the information already provided. Photo metis

In the event you have not been following this story since it first broke in 2020, the Vatican news Italian site offered the best historical overview:

(Translated) – The Pope Meets The Delegations Of Indigenous People From Canada: “He Listened To Our Pain”

It was during an Angelus on June 6, 2020 that the Pontiff shared his dismay with the world over the dramatic news, which had arrived a few weeks earlier, of the discovery in Canada of a mass grave in the Kamloops Indian Residential School with human remains of over 200 indigenous Canadians. A macabre discovery, a symbol of a past of residential cruelty in the country when, from 1880 to the last decades of the 20th century, in institutions financed by the government and managed mostly by Christian organizations, the aim was to educate and convert indigenous young people and to assimilate them. in traditional Canadian society, through systematic abuse.

The finding in June (which was followed by others) led the Canadian episcopate to issue an immediate “mea culpa” and to activate a series of projects to support indigenous communities, in a process of reconciliation whose apex is now represented by the availability of the Pope to receive the communities in the Vatican today and March 31. This is also in view of a future apostolic journey – announced but not confirmed – to Canada. On April 1, Francis will instead receive in audience in the Clementine Hall the various delegations and the Canadian Bishops’ Conference.

As the first group this morning, Francis received the members of the Métis National Council. An encounter punctuated by words, stories and memories, but also many gestures: of the Pope and of the indigenous people themselves who found themselves following a common path. That of “truth, justice, healing, reconciliation.”

Leaving the Apostolic Palace to the sound of two violins, a symbol of their culture and identity, the indigenous people met the international press outside St. Peter’s Square to reclount the details of the morning. Cassidy Caron, young president of Métis, spoke out – by reading a statement – for the “incalculable number of people who have left us without their truth ever being heard and their pain recognized. Without ever receiving the humanity and basic healing they deserved. The acknowledgment, the apologies, it’s very late, but it’s never too late to do the right thing,” she said.

Click here for video: Il Papa incontra le delegazioni di indigeni del Canada: “Ha ascoltato il nostro dolore” – Vatican News

A Canadian radio reporter, Charles Le Bourgeois tweeted today in French: During his meeting with the #Métis this morning, the #pope said 3 words in English to make himself understood “justice, truth, reconciliation”.

If you scroll down his Twitter page – Charles Le Bourgeois (@ChLeBourgeois) / Twitter – you can view the video statement by Cassidy Caron.

PAPAL CONDOLENCES FOR QUEBEC MOSQUE KILLINGS – VATICAN COUNCIL CONDEMNS ATTACK ON MOSQUE

Recent papal tweets:

January 29: Lord, God of peace, hear our prayer and grant us peace in the Holy Land. Shalom, salaam, peace!

January 30: Nothing is impossible if we turn to God in prayer. We can all be builders of peace.

January 31: Let us imitate the attitude of Jesus toward the sick: he takes care of everyone, He shares their suffering and opens their hearts to hope

I am back in Rome after 13 days in Washington, D.C. and I’ll have to dedicate considerable quiet time to meditating on the historic events I attended, thne many new people I met, the longtime friends with whom I shared meals and the many friends whom I did not see for sheer lack of time. How does one “lack time” over a period of 13 days! Had I only had the time each day to write about it, you’d understand!

When I visited my Facebook page after arriving Rome today, I saw that what I thought I had posted on FB from the plane last night as we awaited departure did not in fact appear on my page – I guess airport wifi was not working as I thought. I had taken a photo and wrote the brief post on my US cell phone but was unable to retrieve that today – no big deal.

It is 8:30 pm. I’ve unpacked, I’ve spent considerable time at my desk checking emails and working on a column for today and another for tomorrow and now I’m ready to make dinner and retire early.

Today was a quiet day, publicly at least, for Pope Francis but yesterday he met with the bishops of Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, who are in Rome for their “ad limina apostolorum” visit, in addition to expresing his condolences for victims of the terror attacks in Quebec. Following are reports on the Quebec attacks:

PAPAL CONDOLENCES FOR QUEBEC MOSQUE KILLINGS

Monday, following morning Mass in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence, Pope Francis met with Cardinal Gérald Cyprien LaCroix, assuring the archbishop of Quebec City of his prayers for the victims of the attack on a mosque there on Sunday night. (photo: news.va)

Pope Francis stressed the importance for all, Christians and Muslims, to be united in prayer. Following his meeting with the Pope, Cardinal Lacroix returned immediately to Canada.

The Holy Father also formally expressed his condolences for the victims of the terrorist attack in a telegram addressed to Cardinal Lacroix, and signed by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The full English translation of the telegram, originally written in French, follows::

Most Eminent Cardinal Gérald Cyprien LaCroix

Having learned of the attack which occurred in Quebec in a prayer room of the Islamic Cultural Centre, which claimed many victims, His Holiness Pope Francis entrusts to the mercy of God the persons who lost their lives and he associates himself through prayer with the pain of their relatives. He expresses his profound sympathy for the wounded and their families, and to all who contributed to their aid, asking the Lord to bring them comfort and consolation in the ordeal. The Holy Father again strongly condemns the violence that engenders such suffering; and, imploring God for the gift of mutual respect and peace, he invokes upon the sorely tried families, and upon all persons touched by this tragedy, as well as upon all Quebecers, the benefits of the divine Blessing.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin Secretary of State of His Holiness

VATICAN COUNCIL CONDEMNS ATTACK ON MOSQUE

The Vatican’s Council for Interreligious Dialogue has strongly condemned the shooting at a mosque in Canada in which six people were killed and another dozen wounded.

More than fifty people were gathered for evening prayers at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City on Sunday night when the attack took place. Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the shooting, which Canadian authorities have described as a terror attack.

In a statement on Monday, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue expressed great sadness and indignation at what it called “this senseless gesture.” Such “inconceivable violence,” the statement says, violates both “the sacredness of human life” as well as the respect due to a community at prayer and its place of worship.

The Vatican statement also expresses solidarity with all Canadian Muslims, assuring them of fervent prayers for the victims and their families.

Pope Francis also sent a message of condolences to all those affected by the attack, asking God to bring comfort and consolation to the wounded and bereaved. His words came in a telegramme addressed to Canadian Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, in which the Pope also condemns such violence and suffering.

Pope Francis was able to offer words of sympathy in person to the cardinal, who was in Rome and attended Mass on Monday at the Casa Santa Marta, before cutting short his visit and returning to  Quebec City. (from Vatican Radio)