At Quebec's historic Citadel, Pope Francis was met by Governor General Mary May Simon and the country's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau.
The Pope met with both authorities individually and the Governor General shared a personal story with Pope Francis.
I'm learning French right now and I'm going to learn French. I speak my native language. Yeah, very well because my mother and my grandmother were both Inuit and we only spoke our native language at home.
In fact, she is the first indigenous woman to become governor general.
Once the private meetings, which also included meetings with the Vatican Secretary of State and his team (37:48), were over, the Pope, Prime Minister, and Governor General moved into the conference room.
There, an indigenous leader and Pope Francis exchanged gifts (01:24:52).
Both the Governor General and Prime Minister thanked the Pope for his presence. Trudeau, in particular, thanked him for taking the mistreatment of indigenous people in residential schools run by Catholic institutions so seriously.
During his message, Pope Francis explained that learning that Catholics had caused so much injustice pained him greatly and pushed him to take the siutation so seriously. He also pointed out that today short-term interests are trying to overshadow indigenous values such as love for the family and respect for nature.
POPE FRANCIS
May the evil suffered by the indigenous peoples, and which we are ashamed of today, serve as a warning to us.
We must know how to look, as indigenous wisdom teaches, to the seven future generations, and not to immediate convenience, electoral deadlines or the support of lobbies.
Pope Francis said that today we repeat the mistakes of colonialism when we look at the past with contempt, without recognizing the importance of what he called healthy popular traditions.
POPE FRANCIS
ORIG. SPANISH
It is a mentality that, presuming to have overcome 'the dark pages of history', gives room for the so-called cancel culture, which judges the past only in terms of certain current categories. Thus, a cultural trend is implanted that standardizes or makes everything the same, that does not tolerate differences and focuses only on the present moment, on the needs and rights of individuals, often neglecting the duties towards the weakest and most fragile; the poor, the migrants, the elderly, the sick, the unborn...
Pope Francis said that Canada is an example of multiculturalism, which is a constant challenge not only for that country but for the whole world, and he thanked authorities for what they have done for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees.
JRB
TR: KG
