The Vatican announced that the Pope has indicated his willingness to visit Canada on a future undetermined date. Pope Francis has got an invitation from the Canadian bishops’ pastoral process of reconciliation with indigenous peoples.
Pope Francis expressed sorrow at the discovery of Indigenous children’s graves in an Angelus address in June. The potential visit by Pope Francis would be the first papal trip to Canada since St. John Paul II visited Toronto 20 years ago on a World Youth Day in 2002. The President of the Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Raymond Poisson said that the visit of the Pope would be a significant milestone in the field of reconciliation and healing.