The dad francisco says that his visit to Canada, where will meet locals who suffered abuse in Catholic boarding schools, will be “a penitential pilgrimage”.

“Next Sunday, God willing, I will go to Canada”, said the Pope after praying the Angelus.

The sovereign pontiff should take advantage of his visit from July 24 to 30 to to reiterate the apologies he made to the Canadian delegations who visited the Vatican in April.

There was “expressed my pain and solidarity for the damage they suffered”, the Argentine pope told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“And now I am preparing to make a penitential pilgrimage which I hope, with the grace of God, will contribute to the path of healing and reconciliation already undertaken.”

Papa Francisco.

The Pope Francis, 85, He decided to stick with his trip despite his knee pain, which forced him to cancel other engagements.

Aboriginal in Canada

Between the end of the 19th century and the 1980s, Some 150,000 Indigenous, Métis and Inuit children were forcibly recruited into 139 residential schools across Canada, where they were separated from their family, language and culture.

Thousands of people have died, mostly from malnutrition, disease or neglect, in what the Truth and Reconciliation Committee defined in 2015 as a “cultural genocide”. Others have been victims of physical or sexual abuse.

Last year More than 1,300 unidentified children’s graves have been discovered. in places formerly occupied by boarding schools and the search continues throughout the country.

The the sovereign pontiff was personally invited by Inuit delegates to visit his region during his meetings with them in March and April at the Vatican.

Pope Francis has denied rumors of his resignation

The Pope Francis has denied in early July, rumors that he might resign from his post due to his health problems.

“It never crossed my mind. Not yet, not yet. Really!”assured the sovereign pontiff about his resignation during an interview with the Reuters news agency held at his residence in the Vatican.

Francis repeated that would resign if his health ever prevented him from leading the Church.

Asked precisely about this, the pontiff replied: “We don’t know. God will tell”.