Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to leave Canada on Friday night for his first official trip to the Vatican, where he will attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV on Sunday.
Carney is a devout Catholic but cannot attend the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, as the federal election fell two days before the federal election.
The first Mass was the sworn in by the new pope, which attracted many international leaders, and Carney is expected to have bilateral meetings with several of them on the way.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed that members of the Practitioner from practicing Catholics or the Liberal Caucus representing large Catholic constituencies will travel with the Prime Minister.
US Vice President JD Vance, French Prime Minister François Bayrou and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have all confirmed that they are participating. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also hopes to participate.
The convention of the Aboriginal State Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and the President of the Metis National Assembly Victoria Pruden are traveling with the Canadian delegation.
Pruden calls on the Vatican’s Anima Mundi Museum to return to the Metis cultural relics in its collection.
“We ask the Vatican to work with Metis knowledge managers, historians and experts to determine which items in their collection belong to our people and return them,” Pruden said in a media statement.
“These artifacts were taken during times of extreme injustice. Their return is an important step in promoting reconciliation and repairing the serious harm caused by colonial policies, including the role the church plays in the residential school system.”
Indigenous leaders have previously called on Pope Francis to return the artifacts. In 2023, he promised to do so, but it has not happened yet.
Leo is still a newbie in the position and has not said whether he will deliver on that promise.
In a diplomat speech delivered at the Vatican on Friday morning, Leo reiterated the Church’s efforts to “engage with and embrace all individuals and peoples on earth.
“I believe that religious and religious dialogue can make a fundamental contribution to the promotion of a peaceful atmosphere. This naturally requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, because religious experience is an important aspect of humanity,” he said.
“Without it, it would be difficult (if not impossible) to achieve the inner purification necessary for building a peaceful relationship.”
Related to documents from Olivia Stefanovich of CBC, Alessia Passafiume of Canadian media and Associated Press
