Currents News Staff
Tens of thousands filled Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium to join Pope Francis in a Mass celebrating the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. Jesus’ grandmother is a widely revered figure among Indigenous Catholics and on this feast day, the Holy Father honored all grandparents saying “we are children of a history that needs to be preserved.”
“Our roots, the love that awaited us and welcomed us into the world, the families in which we grew up, are part of a unique history that preceded us and gave us life,” said Pope Francis.
Tuesday’s Mass comes a day after Pope Francis apologized to Canada’s Indigenous community for the Church’s role in the abuses suffered at residential schools. It’s the reason behind the Holy Father’s penitential pilgrimage.
He told those in the audience to look to Joachim and Anne as a reminder to honor our elders and treasure their presence in order to create a better future.
“A future in which the history of violence and marginalization suffered by our indigenous brothers and sisters is never repeated,” said Pope Francis. “That future is possible if, with God’s help, we do not sever the bond that joins us with those who have gone before us, and if we foster dialogue with those who will come after us.”