Pope Francis sets off on ‘penitential pilgrimage’ to Canada

Sunday morning saw Pope Francis fly out of Rome on an ITA Airways plane to kick off his Apostolic Journey to Canada.

The papal plane took off at 9:16 AM Rome time, and is expected to land in the western Canadian city of Edmonton about 11:20 AM MDT (7:20 PM Rome time).

He is scheduled to receive an official welcome to Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Salma Lakhani.

The Pope will then travel to St. Joseph Seminary and rest up from his long flight for the rest of the day. His first public encounters begin in earnest on Monday morning.

Healing and reconciliation

One week ahead of his departure, the Pope said at his Angelus address on 17 July that he is undertaking a “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada, in the hopes of contributing to the “process of healing and reconciliation with the country’s indigenous peoples.”

“Unfortunately, in Canada, many Christians, including some members of religious institutes, have contributed to the policies of cultural assimilation that, in the past, have severely harmed indigenous communities in various ways,” he said on that occasion.

On Saturday, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin echoed the Pope’s words in an interview with Vatican Media.

He said the Pope’s visit comes in connection with meetings held in the Vatican in March and April with representatives of indigenous peoples.

“I would say that closeness is the key word,” said Cardinal Parolin. “The Pope intends not only to speak words, but above all to draw near to, and manifest, his closeness in a concrete way. Therefore, he sets out to touch with his own hands the suffering of those populations, to pray with them and to make himself a pilgrim in their midst.”