François no longer fills the stadiums. The pope continues his trip to Canada to reconcile indigenous populations with the Church, despite the weak mobilization of the population. Thus, to Maskwacis, in the province of Alberta, the authorities were expecting 15,000 people but only received 2,000 on Tuesday, July 26. The same day, the Edmonton stadium was much fuller – with about 50,000 spectators out of the 65,000 expected – for a high mass was celebrated there, and a singer tried to set the mood.
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A weak success that has logistical causes, but not only, according to Father Fadi Sarraf, a Syrian priest who has been living in Montreal for 32 years. “We didn’t know if the pope was coming or not. And we said that the visit was mainly for the natives, they had priority. People weren’t sure they had access to the doors, some must have been a bit discouraged“, he justifies.
A country with little focus on the Catholic faith
The natives were not all able to move for financial reasons. The repeated apologies to them do not really attract Catholics, who are fewer and fewer in number and especially set aside, according to Abbot Éric Nicolai of Opus Dei. This Toronto priest explains that “Canada is a very secularized country“and even believes that”there is almost violence against the faith“. He adds that the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, does not support the Church”in any way“.
Dear brothers and sisters of #Indigenous Peoples, I have also come as a pilgrim to tell you how precious you are for me and for the Church. May the Lord help us move forward in the process of healing, towards a future of healing and renewal. #Canada
— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_fr) July 27, 2022
In the Canadian streets, the enthusiasm is not palpable either around the visit of the pope, who is not greeted on his way, nor welcomed by flags.
Arrived in a wheelchair for this six-day trip, the spiritual leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics, who appeared weakened by his knee pain, greeted those present at length, continues Wednesday with a two-day stopover in Quebec . Before returning to Rome, he will travel Friday to Iqaluit, in the Arctic archipelago to meet the Inuit populations.
