[2] The trip mainly focused on apologizing for the Catholic Church's role in the Canadian Indian residential school system and on reconciliation with the country's Indigenous peoples.

[3] The visit was announced in May 2022, after Pope Francis had met with a delegation of Canadian Indigenous leaders and residential school survivors at the Vatican six weeks earlier.

[4] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon greeted him before a brief welcoming ceremony inside an airport hangar.

[9][11] Pope Francis' remarks were delivered in his native Spanish through a translator in front of spectators counted in the thousands by CBC, including residential school survivors and their family members.

[12] Pope Francis held an open-air mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, on a day marking the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, Mother of Jesus.

[13][14] The Pope first appeared in a modified 2015 Jeep Wrangler Popemobile, which slowly cruised the interior perimeter of the stadium as he blessed and kissed babies who were handed to him.

[23] An evening prayer service was held the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec, with Catholic cardinals, bishops and other members of the clergy in attendance.

[25] In his remarks during the service, he acknowledged for the first time the “sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people" committed by members of the Catholic Church in residential schools.

[25] He went on to say: "Thinking about the process of healing and reconciliation with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, never again can the Christian community allow itself to be infected by the idea that one culture is superior to others, or that it is legitimate to employ ways of coercing others.

[27] Regional Chief of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Ghislain Picard [fr] called the handling of the situation "completely unacceptable and disrespectful", saying there were too many clergy members present in a meeting focused on survivors and their supporters.

"[31] Following the papal apology in Maskwacis on July 25, Governor General Mary Simon said, "Today was a day that moved us forward, giving Survivors words that may help them heal.

[32] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the gathering at Maskwacîs would not have been possible "without the courage, advocacy, and perseverance of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Survivors who recounted their painful memories and shared their experiences".

[37] Indigenous lawyer, activist and professor Pamela Palmater opined in similar fashion: "His failure to acknowledge the church’s role — both at the individual level and as an institution and governing body — not only deflects responsibility, but also serves to put more children at risk."

"[38] On March 30, 2023, the Vatican's Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development jointly repudiated the doctrine of discovery as "not part of the teaching of the Catholic Church".

[39] The Vatican's statement pointed to the 1537 papal bull, Sublimis Deus, which affirmed the liberty and property rights of indigenous peoples and prohibited their enslavement.