Pope won’t be stopping in Saskatchewan during summer visit

Despite repeated requests from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN), Pope Francis won’t be coming to Saskatchewan during his upcoming trip to Canada.

The Vatican on Friday announced the Pope will make stops in Alberta, Quebec and Nunavut. It says the capital cities of Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit are to act as bases for the trip from July 24 to 29.

During the tour, the pontiff is to apologize in person for the Catholic Church’s role in residential schools.

On April 1, Pope Francis issued an apology while a delegation of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people was visiting the Vatican.

On April 26, the FSIN called on the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops to include one of the Saskatchewan residential school sites during the tour.

The FSIN noted Saskatchewan had 22 residential schools — one of the highest numbers in Canada — and at least half were run by the Catholic Church. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has said residents were sexually, physically and mentally abused during their stay at the schools.

A number of First Nations in the province also have found unmarked graves on school sites, including the George Gordon First Nation, the Keeseekoose First Nation, the Cowessess First Nation and the Muskowekwan First Nation.

“The Pope owes every survivor, family, and community affected by the Catholic-operated Indian Residential Schools an apology on our own Treaty territory,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said in the April 26 statement.

“There are over 100,000 Indian residential school survivors and intergenerational survivors in Saskatchewan (and) many are the victims and survivors of the Roman Catholic Church and there are also many survivors who continue to be members of the Catholic faith.

“The Pope needs to visit one of our First Nations in Saskatchewan to witness for himself the reality we are facing today and the work our First Nations are conducting in finding the unmarked graves of hundreds of our children. Pope Francis and the Church must bear witness to the devastation brought on by the Church in our Treaty territory.”

Francis, 85, has been lately using a wheelchair due to badly strained knee ligament.

— With files from The Canadian Press