As the papal visit approaches, Sioux Nation representatives Alexis Nakota and Lac Ste. Anne Métis welcomed the Pope to discuss the history and significance of the pilgrimage site.
Chief Tony Alexis of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation says despite the mixed emotions, he welcomes the pope’s visit and believes it will be a historic moment.
“People of all faiths and races visit these waters, but they all pray to the same creator in the same spirit,” he said. “The lake has been a place – perhaps unwittingly – for reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples for more than a century.”
Alexis said he traveled to the Vatican in 2016 and invited the pope to visit Lac Ste. Anna worship. Eight years later, Francis accepted the invitation as part of his visit to Canada.
During the trip to Canada, the pope is expected to expand on the apology he gave last spring for abuses at boarding schools run by the Catholic Church.
“Pope Francis’ apology is an acknowledgment of the church’s role in the harm and pain caused to Indigenous people living in Canada,” Alexis said. “For some of our people, Pope Francis’ apology will not be enough. Healing is not linear.
“It is fitting that the Pope’s visit to this healing place should bring healing to so many people.”
The procession exits at the end of Mass at Lac Ste. Anne Adoration as the main celebrant of the Mass is Archbishop Richard Smith, as shown in this undated image provided on June 17, 2022. (Ho-Lincoln Ho/The Canadian Press)
Tracy Fidell, spokeswoman for Lac Ste. Anne Métis said the pope’s visit was a chance to restore a “somewhat broken relationship” between the Catholic Church and the community.
“Pope Francis’ visit gives us an opportunity to heal this important relationship… We were assured by the archdiocese that they are committed to working with the community on the issue of unmarked graves and we trust the church to follow through on this,” explained Fidell.
Although the place of worship is not a former residential school, it is a National Historic Site, and Fidell says that ground-penetrating radar was used at the site.
Fidel also admits that not everyone is welcoming the pope in a positive mood.
“We understand that many have mixed feelings about the Pope’s upcoming visit, and we deeply respect all those feelings.
The Pope will spend an hour at Lac Ste. Anna pilgrimage on July 26, which takes place on the lake from July 26 to 29.
The pilgrimage, which has been going on for 123 years, grew to about 40,000 people in 2019 – the year before it was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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