Thousands of worshipers are expected to gather at an Edmonton soccer stadium Tuesday as Pope Francis holds a public mass. The pontiff is expected to speak and offer blessings during the service at the Commonwealth Stadium where more than 65,000 people are expected to attend. During the ceremony, which lasts about an hour, Francis is to address indigenous groups, survivors of residential and day schools, elders, knowledge keepers and Catholics. The mass will include Indigenous music and symbolism — and Indigenous community members from across Alberta and the Prairies will take part in various parts of the ceremony. Francis is expected to arrive around 9 a.m. and begin a “Tour Among the People” in the Popemobile. This procession, accompanied by the sound of Native American drums, will begin at Clarke Field before moving through the outdoor stadium. Francis will prepare for his speech inside a specially prepared treasure room, known as the Sacristy, before delivering the Holy Mass at around 10:15am. The service is expected to include a speech by the Holy Father and a speech by Archbishop Richard Smith. The First Reading will be preached by an indigenous woman from the Enoch community, Pam Kootnay. The service is held on July 26, the feast day of St. Anne, grandmother of Jesus, a day organizers say is a day of special reverence for indigenous Catholics. An overflow viewing area at adjacent Clarke Field has been created to accommodate an additional 5,000 people. Later in the day the pontiff is expected to travel to Lac Ste. Anne, northwest of Edmonton, to take part in the community’s annual pilgrimage. The annual Lac Ste. Anna’s pilgrimage has been held for more than a century – although it was interrupted due to COVID-19 – and has long been important to indigenous Christians. The Pope is expected to spend about an hour at the site on the first day of the four-day pilgrimage. Francis’ participation in the process is expected to begin around 5 p.m. CBC News will broadcast both events live here and on CBC TV, CBC News Network, the CBC News app, CBC Gem, YouTube, CBC News Facebook, CBC Indigenous Facebook. Francis began his week-long visit to Canada with a public address in Maskwacis, Alta. on Monday, where he apologized for the role of Christians in residential schools. Francis traveled to the lands of four Cree nations to pray in a cemetery. Four dignitaries then escorted the pontiff in his wheelchair to the ceremonial site, where he delivered a long-awaited apology and was given a feathered headdress. Francis said the forced assimilation of indigenous peoples into Christian society destroyed their cultures, tore apart their families and marginalized generations in ways that are still felt today. “I am deeply sorry,” Francis said, to applause from school survivors and members of the indigenous community gathered at the former residential school south of Edmonton. The Pope said his apology is only the first step in making amends with Indigenous peoples in Canada and that there needs to be a serious investigation into the facts of what happened in the past. “I humbly ask for forgiveness for the evil committed by so many Christians against indigenous peoples,” Francis said near the site of the former Ermineskin Indian School, now largely demolished. His words went beyond his earlier apology for the “deplorable” actions of missionaries and instead took responsibility for the church’s institutional cooperation with the “disastrous” assimilation policy, which Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission said amounted to ” cultural genocide”. More than 150,000 Indigenous children in Canada were forced to attend government-funded Christian schools from the 19th century to the 1970s in an attempt to isolate them from the influence of their homes and culture. On Wednesday, Francis will depart Alberta for Quebec City before traveling to Iqaluit. Support is available for anyone affected by their residential school experience or recent reports. A national crisis line for residential schools in India has been set up to provide support to ex-students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419. Mental health counseling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or online chat at www.hopeforwellness.ca.
