Leaders from across Alberta reflect on Pope Francis's legacy of compassion, reconciliation

Andrew Jeffrey · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 7:35 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Father Cristino Bouvette used to deliberation of the Pope arsenic idiosyncratic lone seen connected TV, successful photos, oregon astatine champion idiosyncratic you simply drawback a glimpse of arsenic helium passes by successful a crowded piazza.

But erstwhile Pope Francis made his papal sojourn to Canada successful 2022, Bouvette was portion of the entourage for the caput of the Catholic Church implicit 5 days, an acquisition he's reflecting connected aft the Pope's decease connected Monday.

"To beryllium having ongoing interactions with him, to crook a country and him beryllium sitting determination successful his wheelchair, that was ever conscionable a precise surreal experience," said Bouvette, a Roman Catholic clergyman from Calgary.

Pope Francis, 88, died Monday. His 12-year papacy is being remembered by galore connected Monday for its empathy for marginalized radical and for ushering successful a more open, welcoming Catholic Church.

In Canada, Pope Francis is likely best remembered for his sojourn to the state successful 2022. During this trip, Bouvette served arsenic his national liturgical director, helping co-ordinate with the Vatican and Canadian bishops to program what the Pope called a "penitential pilgrimage" emphasizing reconciliation with Indigenous people.

During his visit, Pope Francis apologized for the conduct of immoderate members of the Roman Catholic Church successful Canada's residential schoolhouse system. He aboriginal said what helium described astir the residential schoolhouse strategy and its assimilation of Indigenous radical amounted to genocide.

Bouvette, a clergyman of Indigenous heritage, said helium saw his portion successful the papal sojourn arsenic a idiosyncratic publication to assistance usher the Catholic Church toward reconciliation, and saw his enactment arsenic thing helium could bash retired of respect for his family, arsenic his Cree grandmother was a residential schoolhouse survivor.

On Monday, helium remembered Pope Francis's meetings with Indigenous people.

"To beryllium capable to basal backmost and ticker those [meetings] unfold was profoundly impactful for me, due to the fact that I knew that successful a little 10-second exchange, thing life-changing was happening successful immoderate cases for radical who had spent the bulk of their beingness surviving nether somewhat of a dense acheronian from immoderate of their past experiences," said Bouvette.

"Not that successful a 10-second brushwood that each was conscionable washed away, but I deliberation it shone a caller airy connected that darkness."

Bishop William McGrattan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary said helium remembers Pope Francis's apology arsenic a profound infinitesimal during a historic, spiritual visit.

"I was determination amidst galore of the people, the crowds, and arsenic helium was speaking these words of apology and forgiveness, you could spot that it genuinely moved people," said McGrattan.

In Pope Francis's teachings, McGrattan said, the Catholic leader touched connected issues of justice, biology stewardship and solidarity among radical and religions. He besides praised the Pope's imaginativeness of however the Catholic Church tin evolve.

Standing up for those near retired of society

Pope Francis's words ever had a consciousness of authenticity and sincerity, remembers Peter Baltutis. An subordinate prof of past and spiritual studies astatine St. Mary's University successful Calgary, Baltutis heard Pope Francis successful idiosyncratic astatine the leader's first Palm Sunday Mass successful 2013.

"Whether you were gathering him one-on-one oregon being successful a crowded piazza with tens of thousands of people, his sincerity conscionable came crossed successful a profound way," said Baltutis.

Pope Francis's bequest volition see reminding the religion to usage its presumption of prestige, authorization and privilege to absorption connected those forgotten and marginalized by society, Baltutis said, arsenic good arsenic his willingness to recognize critiques of the church.

"He truly wanted the religion to beryllium not truthful overmuch a presumption of authorization that's dictating to people, but truly being a religion that is amongst the radical and responding to their mundane pastoral needs," Baltutis said. "That's 1 of his large legacies is challenging america to rethink however we bash the enactment of being a church."

Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation met Pope Francis successful 2016, erstwhile helium invited the Pope to sojourn the Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage that brings successful tens of thousands of radical each July. He met the Pontiff again erstwhile helium took Alexis up connected his invitation and visited Lac Ste. Anne. 

Alexis said Pope Francis volition beryllium remembered for his humility, his enactment of Indigenous radical successful their healing and for moving the religion successful a amended direction.

"He wasn't perfect, but helium besides spoke astir protecting Mother Earth and pushed the religion to perceive much to the people. Every person needs to perceive that," Alexis said. 

"His enactment was precise powerful, it was precise strong, it made abstraction for women and those hurting, and his bequest is astir lasting up for the poor, the sick and those near retired of society."

Pope Francis's apology to Indigenous radical successful 2022 helped much radical admit and admit the harm that residential schools caused for Indigenous people, Alexis said. While much enactment is inactive needed, Alexis said the Pope led this effort successful the Catholic Church and helium hopes the adjacent pope volition transportation the torch forward.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Monday that her state was honoured to invited the Pope successful 2022, and that his sojourn brought moments of worship, reflection and an important measurement toward healing.

"His gathering with Indigenous leaders and his apology for the bequest of residential schools were acts of humility and reconciliation — reminders that religion calls america to forgiveness," Smith said.

As the Catholic Church moves guardant aft Pope Francis's death, Bouvette says he's definite reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous radical volition stay astatine the forefront of concerns for the Catholic Church successful Canada.

"With each owed respect to the sojourn of the Holy Father, that was a section successful a continuous communicative that had agelong been being written earlier his coming, and volition conscionable proceed to support going," Bouvette said.

"In that year, respective different of his planetary visits were cancelled oregon postponed owed to his failing wellness … and seeing him benignant of wincing successful agony astatine times due to the fact that helium conscionable was successful existent carnal pain, [and] knowing that helium inactive prioritized that visit, I anticipation that tin beryllium understood to person been a testament to our ongoing committedness to this enactment successful Canada."