After arriving in Canada on July 24, 2022, and completing the Alberta leg of his pilgrimage of healing, reconciliation, and hope, the Holy Father will travel to Quebec City.
Newsroom (27/07/2022 1:20 PM Gaudium Press) After two days in the western province of Alberta, during which he begged for forgiveness from the First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people of Canada for abuse suffered over the span of a century, the 85-year-old pontiff will fly to Quebec City from Edmonton on Wednesday morning.
Pope Francis will go first to the Residence of the Governor General at the Citadelle of Québec, where he will meet with Mary Simon, the first Indigenous person to become Canada’s governor general, and then with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The Governor General will meet with His Holiness, Pope Francis. Following the meeting with the Holy Father, the Governor General will meet with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See.
The Prime Minister will then meet with the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Following the meeting, the Prime Minister will have an audience with His Holiness, Pope Francis.
Following this, Governor General Simon and Pope Francis will deliver addresses to all Canadians on the occasion of the papal visit.
After the addresses to Canadians, the Holy Father departs the Citadelle of Québec, making his way via popemobile to the Plains of Abraham, where he will make a Giro (tour) among the people gathered. Following the Giro, the Holy Father will travel to the residence of the Archbishop of Québec, where he will reside during his stay in the province.
During the day, there will be a specially prepared musical program on the Plains of Abraham. From 13: 30 p.m. to 7:00 PM, Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists will be performing on the Plains’ central stage.
The theme of the event, “Walking Together: Hope for Reconciliation,” will be lived in a spirit of awareness and solidarity with the survivors of the residential schools.
A list of the musical artists includes:
- Friends & Folk: Friends & Folks brings together singers Sabrina Hitch, Marily Dorion and André Nadeau from the Quebec City area. They will offer a luminous and gentle repertoire on the theme of brotherhood!
- Julie Rousseau, Darlene Gijuminag, Flavie Dufour: Gathered within the group Vent’Wela, the three women of miqmag and Quebecois origin carry songs of unity. To the rhythm of their hearts and their drums they offer a celebration of peace. Darlene is a Migmag singer-songwriter from Gascapegiag. She teaches Aboriginal culture and spirituality to women and children. Flavie Dufour is a spoken word artist, singer and composer who connects people through vocal improvisation and poetry. Juulie Rousseau is an author -composer and performer who draws her inspiration from her travels and the human links she weaves along the way.
- Puamun Meshkenu: The marchers are currently walking 275 km and will reach the Plains of Abraham at the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand between 1 and 2 PM on July 27. They will then begin the final leg of their walk and will be welcomed into the heart of the program immediately after Pope Francis’ arrival at the Quebec City airport. A delegation will testify on the main stage about their experience and their common goal of healing and reconciliation.
- Matt Maher: Matt Maher is a contemporary Christian singer-songwriter from Newfoundland. Three of his nine albums have reached the Billboard Top 25 Christian Albums chart. His repertoire includes spiritual pieces with a focus on community.
- Black Bear: Black Bear is a group of pow-wow drummers from Manawan in the Atikamekw Nation who have been performing since the 2000s.
- Beatrice Deer: Beatrice Deer is a Canadian Inuk singer-songwriter born in Quaqtaq, Nunavik. In 2021, she was the winner of the Canadian Indigenous Music Awards.
- Maten: Maten is an Innu group from Uashat mak Mani-utenam that has been active since the late 1990s. It has produced three albums. It is made up of Samuel Pinette, Mathieu McKenzie and Kim Fontaine.
- Laura Niquay : Laura Niquay is an Atikamekw singer-songwriter. She was the first Atikamekw artist to perform at the FrancoFolies de Montreal in 2011. In 2021, she released Waska Matisiwin, an album that was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize.
- Scott Pien Picard: Scott Pien is an Innu singer-songwriter from Uashat mak Mani-Utenam. He won the Talents Bleus competition and was nominated for the Aboriginal Artist of the Year award at the 2021 ADISQ gala.
- Florent Vollant : Florent Vollant is an Innu singer, guitarist and songwriter from Uashat mak Mani-Utenam. He became known to the general public through the music duo Kashtin before embarking on a solo career.
Compiled by Raju Hasmukh
