“Survivors and their descendants must be at the centre of everything we do”

After Pope Francis arrived at the Citadelle in Quebec City on Wednesday, he met with Governor-General Mary Simon and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as other leaders from the province’s Indigenous communities and the Catholic Church. Trudeau made a statement about truth and reconciliation to the residential school survivors and others who had come out to see Pope Francis, and hear his second apology during this papal visit to Canada for the church’s role in cultural genocide.

“My message to everyone gathered at the Citadelle this afternoon: Survivors and their descendants must continue to be at the centre of everything we do. Because as Pope Francis said this week: Begging pardon is not the end of the matter. It’s a starting point. We must, and we will, continue our work together with Indigenous Peoples until we reach a better future — for everyone. In the spirit of healing, let us never give up.”
—Justin Trudeau

Trudeau also spoke to the Pope about “unprecedented global challenges, including peace and security in Ukraine and the global impacts of food insecurity, as well as exchanging views on issues of mass migration and climate change.”

We also spoke about global issues – including food insecurity, migration, and climate change. Together, and with Indigenous Peoples as our partners, we’ll keep working to build a better future. For more on what we spoke about, click this link: https://t.co/3eqk7xXSxA
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 28, 2022

See photos from Pope Francis’s visit to Quebec City in the slider below.

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Justin Trudeau made a statement about residential school survivors after he and Mary Simon met with Pope Francis in Quebec City

Following this week’s events in Maskwacîs and Edmonton, Alberta and Quebec City and today’s mass in nearby Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, the next stop on Pope Francis’s Canadian tour is Iqaluit, where he will arrive on Friday.

To see Trudeau’s response to the Pope’s apology on Monday, as well as criticism from Indigenous leaders, please click here.

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