By Kevin Dougherty and Philip Pullella
QUEBEC CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis met with Canadian political leaders in Quebec City on Wednesday during a diplomatic stopover on the main purpose of his trip to the country, to apologize for the church’s role in running boarding schools for indigenous people where abuse was common.
Arriving in the Quebec capital on the fourth day of his tour of Canada, the pontiff sat in a wheelchair and smiled as he was greeted on the tarmac by indigenous representatives and political leaders.
The Pope was received at the Citadel, located on the banks of the Saint Lawrence. Lawrence, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a long guard of honor dressed in red uniforms and black bearskin hats.
The Citadel of Quebec is the largest British-built fortress in North America. It overlooks a park called the Plains of Abraham, where the pope’s address to dignitaries will later be broadcast. It is also one of the official residences of the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, who represents Queen Elizabeth, Canada’s Head of State.
The pontiff first met Simon, who is the first native to hold the office of governor general. Afterwards, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has made reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples one of his political priorities, will speak privately with François.
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