Pope Francis is expected to arrive in Edmonton on Sunday and he begins his tour to meet with residential school Survivors on Monday in Maskwacis home to the former Ermineskin Residential School, one of the largest residential school sites in Canada.

The Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations, which will host the Pope in Alberta, says the Papal visit is for survivors and Indigenous people in search of answers, truth and validation.  George Arcand Jr. says the harms cannot be undone, but it’s important to come together for this long overdue apology, most importantly for the survivors, their families and their communities.

He emphasizes it’s not the end of the journey, it’s the beginning, saying, “There needs to be an opportunity for the wrongs that were done to be fixed. We just see this as a first step – not the only step.”

The Confederacy of Treaty 6 First Nations will continue to push for a long-term strategy for healing with the government and Papal staff.  Treaty 6 boundaries extend across central portions of present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Louis Bull Tribe Chief, Desmond Bull expects that for Survivors and their families and communities, there will be fall-out from these events, as long-covered emotions are brought to the surface.  He believes the discovery of mass graves was a turning point for many non-Indigenous people.  Bull says that’s when international attention focused on Canada’s colonial history, bringing more awareness. He believes attitudes are shifting.

After his visit to Maskwacis, Pope Francis will meet with members of the parish community of Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton.  There will be an open-air Mass at Commonwealth Stadium Tuesday morning, and then later in the day he travels to Lac Ste. Anne, the site of an annual pilgrimage that welcomes tens of thousands of Indigenous participants from throughout Canada and the United States each year.

Wednesday morning he flies to Quebec City and then on to Iqaluit next Friday.