Pope Francis' itinerary is out and here's the stops he'll make in Alberta
The Vatican has released the program for Pope Francis’ visit to Canada next month, including his stops in and around Edmonton.
The papal visit is set to start in Edmonton on July 24 and end in Iqaluit on July 29. It is to include public and private events with an emphasis on Indigenous participation.
This will mark the first time Pope Francis — who became the sovereign of the Vatican City State back in 2013 — makes a pastoral visit to Canada.
Pope Francis’ visit is set to look like this:
Sunday, 24 July 2022
- 9 am – Departure by airplane from Rome/Fiumicino International Airport to Edmonton.
- 11:20 pm – Arrival at Edmonton International Airport
- 11:20 pm – Official welcome at the Edmonton International Airport
Monday, 25 July 2022
- 10 am – Meeting with Indigenous peoples: First Nations, Métis, and Inuit at Maskwacis.
- 4:45 pm – Meeting with Indigenous peoples and members of the Parish Community of Sacred Heart at Edmonton.
Tuesday, 26 July 2022
- 10:15 am – Holy Mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.
- 5 pm – Participation in the “Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage” and liturgy of the word at Lac Ste. Anne.
Wednesday, 27 July 2022
- 9 am – Departure by airplane from Edmonton International Airport to Québec.
Since news of the discovery of mass graves in the Kamloops Indian Residential School broke last year, the pope has publicly apologized to Canada’s Indigenous Peoples on behalf of the Catholic church, which funded residential schools in the 19th and 20th centuries.
In March, he held respective meetings with the delegations of Métis, Inuit, and First Nations delegation. A subsequent meeting with all three groups was held in April.
His Quebec visit will focus on the town of Ste. Anne-de-Beaupré, one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in North America. Finally, Iqaluit was chosen due to having the highest population of Inuit people in the country.
With files from Daily Hive’s Al Sciola
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