Pope Francis set to embark for Canada, on a one-of-a-kind papal visit
As Pope Francis prepares to embark on his 37th international trip as pope, a very different kind of visit is being planned for this high-stakes journey, where he is expected to apologize to the country's Indigenous peoples for abuses at Catholic-run residential schools.
When he touches down in Edmonton, Alberta, on July 24, Francis will find a dramatically altered scene than that of past airport arrivals. Gone will be the jubilant sights and sounds of marching bands and cheering crowds.
When he arrives on the ground — almost certainly via hydraulic lift, given that his limited physical mobility has added another layer of complication to this difficult trip — the first hands he will shake will be that of Indigenous elders and survivors of residential schools.
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Damian Costello says that many Indigenous peoples want the pope to make a clear apology for what happened on Indigenous land and commit to action that promotes healing.
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You can follow along with all of our coverage of the papal trip to Canada here.
Be messengers of mercy, pope tells African theologians
Pope Francis on July 19 encouraged African theologians to bring "good news of mercy for the poor and nourish people and communities in their struggle for life, peace and hope."
The pope's remarks came in a prerecorded video to participants in the Pan-African Catholic Congress on Theology, Society and Pastoral Life, taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, July 18-23. The continent-wide congress comes at a time in which the Catholic Church has embarked on a global synodal process meant to facilitate greater participation of Catholics throughout the world.
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In 2015, prominent theologians and bishops from across Africa called for more expansive discussions at the global meeting of Catholic bishops on family issues, adding that previous synods focused too heavily on subjects mainly of concern to Europeans and North Americans.
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You can find all of our coverage on the synod on synodality here.
More headlines
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NCR political columnist Michael Sean Winters calls out George Weigel and Archbishop Joseph Naumann, whose criticisms of Pope Francis are, Winters believes, uniquely American and increasingly anachronistic.
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ICYMI: The Vatican released a new policy consolidating the investment portfolios of all offices and keeping all current and future investments in line with the social doctrine of the Catholic Church.
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ICYMI: With Roe v. Wade overturned, new data from the Washington, D.C.-based Public Religion Research Institute found that among Latino Catholics, 75% say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. That's a big jump from the 51% who said so in 2010.
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