Pope Francis began the Alberta leg of his “penitential pilgrimage” Sunday morning after the pontiff’s plane touched down at Edmonton International Airport.
The arrival followed a 10-hour flight that began at Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, trip organizers said Saturday, but the Pope wasn’t scheduled to celebrate a public mass or make a formal announcement just yet.
“His first public words spoken in Canada will be the Monday visit to the former residential school site in Maskwacis,” organizers said, referring to the former Ermineskin Residential School site south of Edmonton. According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, the school operated from 1895 to 1975.
The pontiff’s trip marks the fourth papal visit to Canada in almost 40 years, and comes after an April apology he delivered before Indigenous delegates in April for the Catholic Church’s role in the harms caused by residential schools.
However, many have been calling for the Pope to deliver an apology on Canadian soil, which is also one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action.
While it’s not yet clear whether or not Francis intends to apologize on this trip, Chief Vernon Saddleback of Samson Cree Nation has said it would be well received.
“For him to come out here to do it in person — I can’t say enough how important that is because that’s where healing begins,” Saddleback said at a news conference Thursday. “When you own up to actions, then you can start the process of walking towards forgiveness.”
Indeed, “walking together” is the theme of the latest papal visit. Francis himself has called the trip a “penitential pilgrimage,” in which he will encounter Indigenous people at several events in the Edmonton area, including a Tuesday stop at Lac Ste. Anne, a pilgrimage site about 60 km northwest of the city.
About 120 passengers travelled with the Pope from Rome, including Canadian journalists, Vatican-accredited media and papal staff such as medical and security personnel, organizers said. The Pope also travelled with an entourage of Vatican officials — a sort of “inner circle” also known as the “seguito,” organizers said.
After the Pope deplaned, he was transported by a car and then a wheelchair into a hangar where he greeted Indigenous representatives and members of the clergy alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon. Among those in the procession, Francis met Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations George Arcand Jr., and well as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations RoseAnne Archibald. Local political leaders Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and Premier Jason Kenney also joined the welcoming ceremony, which received the Pope with a military salute and song by a drum group from Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation.
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In a statement Sunday, Kenney said it was a great honour to welcome Francis on his pilgrimage.
“The painful legacy of residential schools, which is the focus of this papal visit to Alberta, requires both expressions of remorse and concrete actions,” Kenney said. “The visit of Pope Francis is both, and the province of Alberta is proud to host it.”
After the short welcoming ceremony, Francis left the hangar in a motorcade to St. Joseph’s Seminary, where he will spend the remainder of the day privately, organizers said.
Several vehicles parked on Gateway Boulevard in Edmonton, presumably hoping to catch a glimpse of the procession along with waving bystanders next to the curb.
Pope Francis will be taking the rest of the day to rest, and has a packed day booked for Monday.
In the morning, the Pope will travel south to Maskwacis, arriving at 9:45 a.m., where he’ll visit the former Ermineskin Residential School. He’s scheduled to spend about an hour in the community before travelling back to Edmonton, where he’s due for an hour-long visit at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in central Edmonton.
There will again be rolling closures of parts of the QEII as well as on Highway 2A and along Highway 611 throughout the day.
This means the highway will be closed along the route before and after the motorcade passes through, according to a news release from the province.
Highways 611 and 2A will see restricted access in the vicinity of Ponoka, Maskwacis and Wetaskiwin to accommodate guests travelling to the event. The province advises drivers to consider alternate routes besides QEII.
Drivers can also expect closures, significant delays and limited access along parts of Highway 611, eastbound and westbound, all day on Monday and are asked to consider routes other than Highways 53 and 13.
The QEII Highway northbound between Maskwacis and Edmonton will be closed when the Pope returns to Edmonton and travellers can expect short-term delays to accommodate the rolling closures.
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