Leaders from across Alberta reflect on Pope Francis's legacy of compassion, reconciliation
Head of the Catholic Church since 2013 died Monday
Father Cristino Bouvette used to think of the Pope as someone only seen on TV, in photos, or at best someone you merely catch a glimpse of as he passes by in a crowded piazza.
But when Pope Francis made his papal visit to Canada in 2022, Bouvette was part of the entourage for the head of the Catholic Church over five days, an experience he's reflecting on after the Pope's death on Monday.
"To be having ongoing interactions with him, to turn a corner and him be sitting there in his wheelchair, that was always just a very surreal experience," said Bouvette, a Roman Catholic priest from Calgary.
Pope Francis, 88, died Monday. His 12-year papacy is being remembered by many on Monday for its empathy for marginalized people and for ushering in a more open, welcoming Catholic Church.
In Canada, Pope Francis is likely best remembered for his visit to the country in 2022. During this trip, Bouvette served as his national liturgical director, helping co-ordinate with the Vatican and Canadian bishops to plan what the Pope called a "penitential pilgrimage" emphasizing reconciliation with Indigenous people.
During his visit, Pope Francis apologized for the conduct of some members of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada's residential school system. He later said what he described about the residential school system and its assimilation of Indigenous people amounted to genocide.
Bouvette, a priest of Indigenous heritage, said he saw his part in the papal visit as a personal contribution to help guide the Catholic Church toward reconciliation, and saw his work as something he could do out of respect for his family, as his Cree grandmother was a residential school survivor.
On Monday, he remembered Pope Francis's meetings with Indigenous people.
"To be able to stand back and watch those [meetings] unfold was deeply impactful for me, because I knew that in a brief 10-second exchange, something life-changing was happening in some cases for people who had spent the majority of their life living under somewhat of a heavy darkness from some of their past experiences," said Bouvette.
"Not that in a 10-second encounter that all was just washed away, but I think it shone a new light on that darkness."
Bishop William McGrattan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary said he remembers Pope Francis's apology as a profound moment during a historic, spiritual visit.
"I was there amidst many of the people, the crowds, and as he was speaking these words of apology and forgiveness, you could see that it truly moved people," said McGrattan.
In Pope Francis's teachings, McGrattan said, the Catholic leader touched on issues of justice, environmental stewardship and solidarity among people and religions. He also praised the Pope's vision of how the Catholic Church can evolve.
Standing up for those left out of society
Pope Francis's words always had a sense of authenticity and sincerity, remembers Peter Baltutis. An associate professor of history and religious studies at St. Mary's University in Calgary, Baltutis heard Pope Francis in person at the leader's first Palm Sunday Mass in 2013.
"Whether you were meeting him one-on-one or being in a crowded piazza with tens of thousands of people, his sincerity just came across in a profound way," said Baltutis.
Pope Francis's legacy will include reminding the church to use its position of prestige, authority and privilege to focus on those forgotten and marginalized by society, Baltutis said, as well as his willingness to understand critiques of the church.
"He really wanted the church to be not so much a position of authority that's dictating to people, but really being a church that is amongst the people and responding to their everyday pastoral needs," Baltutis said. "That's one of his big legacies is challenging us to rethink how we do the work of being a church."
Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation met Pope Francis in 2016, when he invited the Pope to visit the Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage that brings in tens of thousands of people each July. He met the Pontiff again when he took Alexis up on his invitation and visited Lac Ste. Anne.
Alexis said Pope Francis will be remembered for his humility, his support of Indigenous people in their healing and for moving the church in a better direction.
"He wasn't perfect, but he also spoke about protecting Mother Earth and pushed the church to listen more to the people. Every leader needs to hear that," Alexis said.
"His leadership was very powerful, it was very strong, it made space for women and those hurting, and his legacy is about standing up for the poor, the sick and those left out of society."
Pope Francis's apology to Indigenous people in 2022 helped more people recognize and acknowledge the harm that residential schools caused for Indigenous people, Alexis said. While more work is still needed, Alexis said the Pope led this effort in the Catholic Church and he hopes the next pope will carry the torch forward.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Monday that her province was honoured to welcome the Pope in 2022, and that his visit brought moments of worship, reflection and an important step toward healing.
"His meeting with Indigenous leaders and his apology for the legacy of residential schools were acts of humility and reconciliation — reminders that faith calls us to forgiveness," Smith said.
As the Catholic Church moves forward after Pope Francis's death, Bouvette says he's certain reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous people will remain at the forefront of concerns for the Catholic Church in Canada.
"With all due respect to the visit of the Holy Father, that was a chapter in a continuous story that had long been being written before his coming, and will just continue to keep going," Bouvette said.
"In that year, several other of his international visits were cancelled or postponed due to his failing health … and seeing him sort of wincing in agony at times because he just was in actual physical pain, [and] knowing that he still prioritized that visit, I hope that can be understood to have been a testament to our ongoing commitment to this work in Canada."
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With files from Karina Zapata and Erin Collins