Sharjah24 - Reuters: Pope Francis will have at least five meetings with indigenous people during a trip to Canada in July, making good on a promise to apologise in the country for the Roman Catholic Church's role in abusive residential schools.
A programme released on Thursday showed the pope plans to go ahead with the July 24-30 trip despite problems with his knee that forced him to cancel a visit to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in the first week of July.
The state-sanctioned schools, which sought to erase indigenous cultures and where many children suffered abuse, were at the centre of discussions between the pope and indigenous people at the Vatican in March and April.
Francis, 85, apologised during those meetings and the groups accepted his apology but the pope promised to apologise in Canada as well.
The pope will visit Edmonton, Maskwacis, Lac Ste. Anne, Quebec, and Iqaluit in Canada's Arctic territory. He is scheduled to deliver nine homilies and addresses and say two Masses.
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