Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - April 28, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba Call for more information 204.202.1870 707 Setter Street, Winnipeg, MB Where Caring is Our Number One Concern™ www.allseniorscare.com O n e B e d r o o m S u i t e A v a i l a b l e Throughout the Years! Enjoy a Continuum of Care R A R E O P P O R T U N I T Y ! MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2025WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM ● A5 NEWS Senator, MMF president reflect on attending historic funeral for Pope Francis ‘Greatest honour’ representing Manitoba M ANITOBA Sen. Gigi Osler was moved to tears as she described attending the funeral of Pope Francis, who was laid to rest in Vati- can City on Saturday at a ceremony at- tended by hundreds of thousands from across the world. “It was a very bittersweet, but sol- emn and beautiful day. He was so deep- ly loved,” Osler said by phone Sunday, speaking slowly and, at times, over- whelmed with emotion. “It was truly the greatest honour to be able to represent Manitobans and Can- ada at the funeral of such an impactful pope who really embodied humility, compassion and love for all of us.” Osler was among a delegation of Can- adian officials and Indigenous leaders who travelled to pay their final respects to the late pontiff, who died of a stroke and heart failure April 21 at age 88. Osler returned to Canada on Sunday, and said she was “still processing” the experience when she spoke with the Free Press. Several notable Manitobans were among the mourners, including Mani- toba Métis Federation president David Chartrand, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Ne- pinak and Phil Fontaine, who is a for- mer head of both the Assembly of Mani- toba Chiefs and AFN. Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné, who is also from Manitoba, made the trip, as did Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Os- ler said. Osler, who did not have an oppor- tunity to meet Pope Francis before his death, said the roughly 90-minute cere- mony reflected the humility that was a trademark of his 12-year papacy. He was buried in a plain wooden casket, and with simplified funeral rights, she said. According to Vatican estimates, some 250,000 people attended the funeral in St. Peter’s Square while 150,000 others lined the motorcade route that stretched about six kilometres through downtown Rome. Osler said the pontiff will be remem- bered for his dedication to building bridges and extending compassion to vulnerable and marginalized people. “I think Manitobans loved Pope Francis, and not just Catholics,” Osler said, referencing the Pope’s 2022 visit to Canada, during which he apologized for harms the Catholic Church inflicted through the residential school system. About 150,000 Indigenous chil- dren were forced to attend residential schools, more than 60 per cent of which were run by the Catholic Church. Francis met with Indigenous people who survived the schools and listened to their stories. “His recognition of the ongoing trauma was powerful, not just for First Nations, Indigenous and Métis people who experienced abuse. I think, as Manitobans, we need to offer all of our deepest condolences and (recognize) his impact,” Osler said. Chartrand was part of a 50-person Indigenous delegation that went to the Vatican in 2022 and encouraged the Pope to come to Canada. Francis demonstrated respect to the group, shaking each person’s hand de- spite concerns over the then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the dele- gation were moved to tears by the ges- ture, Chartrand said. When the Pope later arrived in Can- ada, Chartrand remembered feeling “the healing will truly progress and begin now with his personal attend- ance,” he said. The Métis president waited in line for more than three hours Friday to view the Pope’s body and pay his final re- spects. He attended the funeral service the following day. “To me, it was such an honour to be here and to show respect back to him, as he showed to us,” Chartrand said by phone from Rome on Sunday. “I saw people cry, I saw people hug, I saw young and old with their families… To me, he was the pope of hope.” Chartrand carried a rosary in honour of his late mother — a devout Catholic — with him as he walked several kilo- metres through the press of bodies that formed the crowd, he said. “Just to be there was priceless. No- body can replace that. It’s something I will cherish forever,” he said. tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca TYLER SEARLE SUPPLIED PHOTOS ABOVE: Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand waits in line at the Vatican to pay his respects to Pope Francis. LEFT: Manitoba Sen. Gigi Osler (far right) with a group of Canadian dignitaries and Catholic officials who made the trip to the Vatican for Pope Francis’s funeral. Canada’s Indigenous leaders pay respects to ‘an ally and a friend’ CANADIAN Indigenous leaders bid farewell to “an ally and a friend” at the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday, lauding the pontiff for ad- vancing reconciliation efforts with a historic apology for injustices that remain raw for many. Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and chiefs Wilton Littlechild, Phil Fontaine and Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak were among the thousands of dignitar- ies and Catholic faithful who filled St. Peter’s Square to honour Francis and his dedication to a myriad of issues, including concerns facing mi- grants, marginalized groups and the poor. Afterwards, the head of the Assembly of First Nations remembered Francis for apologizing during his visit to Canada in July 2022 for the Catholic Church’s role in widespread abuses at residential schools. “I stand with people around the world and in mourning the loss of an ally and a friend to First Nations, Pope Francis,” National Chief Nepinak said by phone Saturday, reached on a busy Rome street hours after the mass. “No other pope before him had done that, had done that work and had apologized, and so I thank him for his life.” Nepinak acknowledged a sad day in marking the pontiff’s death, but also a day for looking to the future, “knowing that we have to still build the relationships and change the conversation on some really difficult issues within the Catholic Church.” Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor general, said the pontiff’s apology for abuses in the residential school system was a significant step in addressing historical injustices. “I hope that the new pope will carry on the work that Pope Francis was doing,” said Simon, who led the Canadian delegation to Rome. “The apology was a significant milestone, and we have to continue working together on the journey of reconciliation. The fact that he came to Canada and apologized on Canadian lands, on Indigenous lands, was very significant.” Littlechild said it’s important to continue that work for “our healing journeys.” Nepinak said she, Littlechild and Fontaine met with several Canadian cardinals after the fu- neral to informally discuss next steps in healing relations between the Church and Indigenous Peoples. “We talked about some of the work that he had done in the past couple of years. So it was a good day that way, where I was able to build relations with Vatican officials and cardinals and bish- ops,” she said. The road ahead is not smooth, she added, noting resistance remains among some in the Church and in Indigenous communities to both change and accepting the apology. “I think it’s very raw. And residential schools is just very, still, very raw for Canada.” The papal visit in July 2022 was described as a “penitential pilgrimage” because Pope Francis insisted on meeting with Indigenous survivors of residential schools and hearing their stories. In Maskwacis, Alta., Francis begged for for- giveness and expressed shame for abuses com- mitted by some members of the Church. In Nuna- vut, he met survivors who showcased traditional practices banned in residential schools, includ- ing dancing, drumming and throat singing. While the visit was recognized as a mile- stone, some criticized Francis for not naming the crimes and abuses. Others called for action, such as the return of sacred artifacts held by the Vatican. Nepinak said she saw signs of a possible re- newed relationship with the Church, noting that when she arrived at the funeral, she initially took her place towards the back of a VIP section. But then a Vatican official approached and pulled her closer to the front. “I was sitting in the back row, and some of the Vatican officials came and got me, and they brought me up to the stage, closer to his coffin and with the dignitaries up top,” she said. “I want to be hopeful.” Simon said it’s important for the Vatican to continue efforts at reconciliation. “It’s a long process, but you see things moving forward. And I hope that will continue to hap- pen.” About 150,000 Indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, more than 60 per cent of which were run by the Catholic Church. — The Canadian Press NICOLE THOMPSON AND CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI SPENCER COLBY / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Gov. Gen. Mary Simon was among the Canadian dignitaries at Pope Francis’s funeral. ;