Federal leaders remember Pope Francis as humble pontiff who moved reconciliation forward

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 9:52 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Canada's governmental leaders are remembering Pope Francis arsenic a humble person with a heavy motivation work and the spiritual courageousness to assistance the world's astir vulnerable.

"Today, the satellite mislaid a antheral who profoundly touched the lives of billions of people," Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a run halt successful Charlottetown on Monday. 

"Pope Francis was a dependable of motivation clarity, spiritual courage and boundless compassion," Carney added. "He was, successful galore respects, the conscience of the world, and helium ne'er hesitated to situation the strongest connected behalf of the astir vulnerable."

Pope Francis died astatine 7:35 a.m. local clip connected Monday, the Vatican said successful a video statement. He was 88.

His 12-year papacy ushered successful a much open, welcoming Catholic Church that prioritized empathy for the mediocre and disenfranchised — including Indigenous victims of Canada's church-run residential schools.

"During his papal sojourn to Canada successful 2022, his apology connected residential schools was a important measurement successful moving the religion guardant successful its travel towards meaningful reconciliation," Carney added. 

In July 2022, Francis made what helium called a "penitential pilgrimage" to Canada, visiting Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit, wherever helium emphasized reconciliation and apologized for members of the Catholic Church who co-operated with the government's "devastating" argumentation of Indigenous residential schools.

He said his apology was lone the archetypal measurement successful making amends with Indigenous radical successful Canada, and that a superior probe indispensable beryllium conducted into the facts of what occurred successful the past.

"Pope Francis, helium apologized to our people. There was beardown absorption to an apology. But helium did it anyways," Assembly of First Nations main Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said successful station connected Facebook. 

"I convey him for that and for his life's enactment present connected earth," she added. "May helium remainder successful peace."

'Rich, diverse, afloat of spirit'

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Pope Francis's "humility, compassion, and steadfast religion had a profound interaction connected millions of Canadians and others astir the satellite from each religion background."

Poilievre besides singled retired Francis's efforts during his 2022 sojourn toward reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples and said his "humble work and his connection of love" will "continue to animate a satellite successful request of hope."

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet also expressed his sympathies successful a station connected X. 

"I widen my condolences to the Quebecers of Christian and Catholic religion who are attached to the instauration and idiosyncratic of the Pope," helium said. "May you acquisition this infinitesimal successful serenity."

Carney said helium has taken guidance from a communicative Pope Francis shared successful 2014 successful which the pontiff compared humanity to wine — "rich, diverse, afloat of spirit" — and the marketplace to grappa — "distilled, intense, and astatine times disconnected."

"He reminded america that markets don't person values, radical do, and it is our work to adjacent the gap, to crook that grappa backmost into wine," Carney added. "I articulation each Catholics successful reflecting connected his passing and perpetrate myself to fulfilling his challenge."