The Vatican formally announced Friday a visit by Pope Francis to Canada from July 24 to 29.
The Pope will make three main stops, in Edmonton, Quebec City and Iqaluit, during the last week of July.
CBC News previously reported the three cities were under strong consideration for the papal visit.
More locations near the sites and specific itinerary details will be released six to eight weeks prior to the papal visit, according to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).
Planning is underway for the Pope to visit the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage grounds, a designated national historic site located about 75 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, and possibly Ermineskin Cree Nation, about 100 kilometres south of Edmonton.
The pontiff initially announced his plan to visit Canada during a meeting on April 1 with First Nations, Inuit and Métis delegates, who travelled to the Vatican to meet him.
Pope Francis also offered an initial apology for the actions of individual Roman Catholic Church members in Canada’s residential schools.
The delegates, who travelled to Rome, want the Pope to issue an apology in Canada for the role the Roman Catholic Church played in operating the majority of residential schools, which would fulfil Call to Action 58 from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“You have brought here to Rome a living sense of your communities,” the Pope told delegates on April 1. “I will be happy to benefit again from meeting you when I visit your native lands, where your families live.”
In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomed the papal visit, which is expected to include a formal apology in Canada for the church’s role in operating residential schools.
“This would be an important — and necessary — step for the Roman Catholic Church to continue engaging in dialogue with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in order to advance meaningful reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples in our country,” Trudeau said.
In 2017, Trudeau travelled to the Vatican to appeal for an apology from Pope Francis. At the time, the CCCB said the Pope can’t personally apologize for residential schools.
Lebanon trip postponed
Earlier this week, the Pope postponed his trip to Lebanon scheduled for next month because of health issues.
The 85-year-old has a chronic nerve condition called sciatica, which causes pain from his lower back down to his legs.
He walks with a pronounced limp and has difficulty using stairs, so accessibility is a key factor for any site he visits in Canada.
“Given the Holy Father’s advanced age and the size of Canada, we know that the visit will take place in a targeted group of communities,” a spokesperson for the CCCB previously told CBC.
Before the Pope travels to Rome, he visits South Sudan with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Justin Welby issued a residential school apology in Canada last month on behalf of the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Church.
“I will have an opportunity to discuss with him what I learned,” Welby said.
