Canada - Pope Francis: "The Church, a welcoming home for all!"
Edmonton, Canada - July 2022 - As part of the "Penitential Pilgrimage" Pope Francis is making in Canada, on July 25 he went to the Sacred Heart of the First Peoples Church in Edmonton, one of the city’s oldest, for the second meeting with indigenous peoples. The Pontiff was welcomed by Fr. Susai Jesu, OMI, who thanked him on behalf of the indigenous people and the parish community. The Pontiff was pleased with the work carried out by the parish, a meeting place for indigenous people and descendants of the former colonizers where the Catholic faith is expressed in the context of indigenous culture. During his remarks, Pope Francis admitted that shame "must never be erased," for the pain caused even by so many Christians to the detriment of the cultural distinctiveness of indigenous communities, and dwelt on the authentically Gospel meaning of reconciliation. Pope Francis stressed, " Here is a home for all, open and inclusive of all, just as the Church should be, a family of the children of God where hospitality and welcome are paramount, the distinctive values of indigenous culture: and where everyone should feel welcome, regardless of past events and individual circumstances of life."