Pope Francis is continuing his pilgrimage of penance in Canada with a visit to Quebec City.
A plane carrying the Pope left Edmonton Wednesday and is headed east for the next leg of his reconciliation visit.
However, the event at the Citadelle de Québec has been pushed back an hour due to a delay involving a flight carrying Indigenous leaders.
Organizers say the event is now scheduled to begin at 4:40 p.m. and the Pope’s tour of the Plains of Abraham will be pushed back to 6:15 p.m.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops reports that the Pope plans to listen to and speak with representatives of different Indigenous communities to address the impacts of colonization and the Roman Catholic Church’s involvement in the residential school system.
The visit is also supposed to be an opportunity to connect with the Catholic community in Canada.
The Pope is scheduled to first meet with government officials and deliver a public address on the Plains of Abraham.
Thursday, he will go to the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica, where he will celebrate mass at 10 a.m.
Between 10,000 and 15,000 people are expected to attend, with space for guests inside and outside the basilica.
The mass will also be broadcasted on the Plains of Abraham.
Later in the afternoon, the Pope is slated to go to the Cathédrale-Basilique Notre-Dame de Québec to meet with bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians and more.
Friday, Pope Francis is expected to have a private meeting at 9 a.m. with members of the Jésus à l’Archevêché de Québec.
At 10:45 a.m., he will meet with a delegation of Indigenous people from eastern Canada — his last activity in Quebec City.
His plane is expected to leave Jean-Lesage International Airport at 12:45 p.m. and land at 3:50 p.m. at Iqaluit International Airport in Nunavut.
At 4:15 p.m., the Pope will meet with former students of residential schools in Iqaluit before participating in a public event presented by the Inuit community.
A departure ceremony for the Pope is slated to take place at 6:15 p.m. at the Iqaluit Airport, ending his stay in Canada as he heads back to the Vatican.
— This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 27, 2022.
