In Quebec, Pope Francis met with a group of Jesuits as is customary during his international trips.
In their conversation published by La Civiltà Cattolica, the Pope says his trip to Canada was the fruit of many years of hard work of Canada's bishops, but acknowledged that some members of the Church are working against the reconciliation process with Indigenous peoples.
He also responded to a criticism that his apology to Indigenous groups came on behalf of Christians but not the institutional Church, saying that as a bishop he speaks in the name of the Church unless he explicitly states otherwise.
POPE FRANCIS
I am deeply sorry. Sorry for the ways in which, regrettably, many Christians supported the colonizing mentality of the powers that oppressed the indigenous peoples.
The Pope also explained that he did not meet specifically with survivors of sexual abuse in Canada so as not to divert attention away from the focus of his trip: meeting with Indigenous peoples to address all forms of abuse they suffered in residential schools.
On liturgy, Pope Francis said it was clear there was a need to regulate the old rite to ensure it remained a pastoral matter rather than a question of “style.”
He also repeated an idea which he expounded on his return flight to Rome: that the Church's laws and morality must change and progress as they are perfected.
JM
