If his apology is eagerly awaited, his behavior will be scrutinized. Pope Francis arrived in Canada on Sunday July 24 for a “pilgrimage of repentance” where he is expected to renew his apology for the Church’s role in the residential school tragedy for the indigenous population, a move the country hopes for. for years.

>> Pope Francis embarks on a ‘pilgrimage of repentance’ to Canada, where school trauma still haunts survivors

Whale, 85, landed this morning in Edmonton, Western Canada, for the first of three trips. He will also travel to Quebec and Iqaluit, a city in the far north of Canada in the Arctic Archipelago, before leaving on Friday.

A little lighter program because of his state of health: the whale always moves around in a wheelchair. Therefore, there can never be more than two public meetings per day. Meetings or masses that are not supposed to last more than an hour, maximum 1h30. This is what the organizers asked for, but”we will see day by day“, underlined the Vatican.

Some highlights of the arrival of Pope Francis in Canada, marking his 37th apostolic trip abroad and his 56th country visit. This is the fourth papal visit to Canada, after three by Pope John Paul II. #PopeDiCanada #Pope Francis @pauslike_besoek @VaticanNews pic.twitter.com/lunXx9xInH

—Vatican News (@VaticanNews) July 24, 2022

On the subject: François still has pain in his knee. Thus, the whales have been moving around in a wheelchair since the beginning of May or on a stick, without standing for long. So one Sunday morning, he got on and off the plane in his wheelchair on an elevated ramp, barely landing.

After being greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Inuit Mary Simon, as well as Indigenous leaders in an airport ceremony that began with Native American drumming and singing, Francois then rested for the day. Nothing is planned in the program to start this journey.

An alarming state of health in the eyes of all and something to worry about. But the natives, to whom Francis held his first official words, were all the more grateful to him that he had come, despite everything. But this trip was also a test for the rest of the papacy. Will François stay the course? Will his state of exhaustion allow him to go to kyiv, Ukraine, as he wishes? Maybe not soon.