The pope resumed this Wednesday August 3 the general audience in San Pedro. Concluding his rest period in July, with a visit to Canada included, francisco He wanted to share the experiences of his trip to Canadian lands,”a trip different from the others”.

In fact, he acknowledged, “the main motivation will be the de encontrar a las poblaciones originarias para expresarles mi cercanía y mi pain y pedir perdón por el daño que les hicieron aquellos cristianos, incluidos muchos católicos, que en el pasado colaboraron en las políticas de assimilation forzada y liberación de los gobiernos of the time”.

An “important page”

In this sense, in Canada, a journey has begun to write a new page, an important page, “of the path that the Church has been following for a long time with the indigenous peoples”. The Pope explained that this path of “rreconciliation and healing”, presupposes a historical awareness, listening to the survivors, an awareness and above all a conversion, a change of mentality.

I would like to thank all those who have made this penitential pilgrimage to Canada possible, beginning with the civil authorities, the leaders of the indigenous peoples and the Canadian bishops. I sincerely thank all those who accompanied me with their prayers.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_es) July 31, 2022

lights and shadows

So far, lights and shadows have been seen, also in the Church: “On the one hand, some men and women of the Church have been among the most determined and courageous defenders of the dignity of indigenous peoples, defending them and contributing to the knowledge of their languages ​​and cultures. But, on the other hand, unfortunately, there was no shortage of those who participated in programs that we understand today as unacceptable and contrary to the Gospel”.

For all these reasons, Francis was grateful to have made “a penitential pilgrimage” during which “there were many moments of joy, but the overall sense and tone was one of reflection, repentance and reconciliation”.

the sounds of travel

A “spiritual and human” experience, in which, accompanied by leaders and members of the main indigenous groups, “we remembered together: the good memories of the ancient history of these peoples, in harmony with their land, and of the painful memory of the abuse they suffered, even in boarding schools, due to cultural assimilation policies. Accompanied by the sound of drums, we leave room for silence and prayerso that, from memory, a new path can be started again, without more rulers and subjects, but only brothers and sisters”.

A memory on which to build a future together: “After memory, the second step on our path was that of reconciliation.. Not a compromise between us (it would be an illusion, a staging), but letting ourselves be reconciled by Christ, who is our peace”.

Reconciliation

Thus, “the indigenous communities who have welcomed and assimilated the Gospel help us to rediscover the cosmic dimension of the Christian mystery, in particular of the Cross and the Eucharist. Around this center se forms the community, the Church, called to be an open, spacious and welcoming tent, the tent of reconciliation and peace”.

Here’s how to access the third pillar: “Memory, reconciliation and therefore healing”. A final stage of the journey they made “to the shores of Lake Santa Ana, precisely on the feast day of Saints Joaquín and Ana. For Jesús the lake was a familiar environment: he lived a large part of his life public at the Sea of ​​Galilee, with his first disciples, all fishermen; there he preached and healed many sick people.

Hope

In this way, Francis expressed that this journey of “memory, reconciliation and healing, hope arises for the Church, in Canada and in the world. The disciples of Emmaus walked with the risen Jesus: with him and through him they passed from failure to hope.

An invitation tofind a healthy balance, a harmony between modernity and ancestral cultures, between secularization and spiritual values. And this directly challenges the mission of the Church, sent throughout the world to bear witness to and “sow” a universal brotherhood that respects and promotes the local dimension with its many riches”.

We continue to pray for the Ukrainian people, attacked and martyred, asking God to free them from the scourge of war. The only reasonable thing would be to stop and negotiate. May wisdom inspire concrete steps of peace.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_es) July 31, 2022