The Pope left Edmonton on Wednesday morning and arrived in Quebec City in the afternoon, where he is expected to meet with Governor General Mary Simon and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Citadel of Quebec before giving a public address with Simon. Francis, in a wheelchair, was greeted on the tarmac by school survivors, indigenous leaders and other dignitaries, including Quebec Premier Francois Lego. People had already set up lawn chairs by 10 a.m. on the Plains of Abraham, where the pontiff is expected to greet the audience from his papal papal late Wednesday. There was a strong police presence in the venues, where concerts and other artistic performances were held throughout the afternoon. For school survivor Omer St-Onge, the Pope’s visit represents a “small step” on a journey of healing. But St-Onge, who hails from the Innu community of Uashat-Maliotenam on Quebec’s north coast, said he’s hoping for more than just an apology. “It’s time for the Pope to decide to give us back objects, objects that were taken from us and are all in the Vatican and in churches, documents about young people who died,” said St-Onge, whose birth name is Uapan Ushekatok. Fabien Jaubert, also from Uashat-Maliotenam, said he had come to honor the memories of the school’s survivors, including his grandmother and aunt. “I’m waiting for an apology from the Pope,” he said in an interview at the Plains of Abraham before the pontiff’s arrival. “I’d like to hear him do one on behalf of the church, rather than specific actors.” Official events in Quebec were slightly postponed after a separate flight carrying organizers and indigenous leaders invited to the Citadelle was delayed. After visiting the Plains of Abraham, the Pope is to proceed to the residence of the archbishop of Quebec, where he plans to stay during his time in the province. On Thursday, Francis will hold a mass at the shrine of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, east of the city, and then attend vespers with church officials at the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Quebec. On Friday, he is due to make a brief stop in Iqaluit before heading home to the Vatican. The Alberta leg of the Pope’s trip included a visit to the Maskwacis Indigenous community, south of Edmonton. Standing there before school survivors and indigenous leaders, he apologized for the abuses at the institutions, most of which were run by the Roman Catholic Church. Francis also led an outdoor public service at Edmonton’s football stadium, which some criticized as too traditional. He later joined a pilgrimage to Lac Ste. Anne, northwest of Edmonton — a place of spiritual significance to many native Catholics believed to have healing properties. Francis blessed the lake and sprinkled some of its water on the people in the crowd. The Pope’s Twitter account posted on Tuesday, after visiting the pilgrimage site, that “as a Church, all of us must heal from the temptation to choose to defend the institution instead of seeking the truth.” “With God’s help, let us contribute to the building of a Mother Church that is pleasing to Him. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on July 27, 2022. — With files from Frederic Lacroix-Cuture
