CANADA
Catholic Register
BY ANREW EHRKAMP, CATHOLIC REGISTER SPECIAL
June 8, 2017
EDMONTON – Archbishop Richard Smith doesn’t know if Pope Francis is coming to Canada but he is convinced the Pope has been deeply affected by the testimonies of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“The pain was just etched on his face as he listened to the stories, so we know we can trust Pope Francis to do what is right and what is good and take very seriously the request that has come from the government and the TRC process,” Smith said. “And we’ll see.”
Smith and other western Canadian bishops discussed the residential schools during their ad limina visit with Pope Francis in March.
“Just to see the look on his face as we recounted some of the challenges, he’s a clearly a man with a very, very serious pastoral heart,” Smith said during his annual media breakfast on May 29, the same day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked the Pope to come to Canada to apologize for the Church’s role in the residential schools.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.