The Pope is gone but as a Catholic and a Canadian, the profound meaning of the visit to Canada made by the 86-year-old, our leader, remains. I was moved by the images of great fatigue and deep suffering for which he may not have been prepared. I am convinced that the raw intensity of the personal direct narratives he heard surpassed the depth of his heart.
His departure and his words, however, like the erasure of names and marks from the bare earth in the recent past, remain with us. The times and human expression of condemnation, along with the offer of a sincere apology have been fulfilled, yet the heinous and uncomfortable legacy remains.
What will happen now?
The image of the Pope in a wheelchair evokes the image of Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey.
The sign of humility, the humanity of the gesture, and the request for forgiveness is with us; the die is cast.
Now it is the turn of the Canadian Catholic communities, of the Whistler Catholics. The chance to begin a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples and restore dignity to the little innocent souls lost to history is before us.
The logic of numbers, of big spending, of ostentation must give way to the logic of love and fraternal help.
A powerful reason to stop and rethink whether the construction of the new [Our Lady of the Mountains] Church (see Pique, July 14: “Whistler’s Catholic church looks to expand its footprint and presence—but not all are onboard”) is the new message to be given.
