Pope Francis will be remembered by Indigenous Catholics for his efforts towards reconciliation. (ID 259363456 © Curtis Haigh | Dreamstime.com)

By Austin Mattes

Rebuilding Relationships

‘He carried a powerful message’: Indigenous Catholics remember Pope Francis as new pontiff is elected

May 8, 2025 | 12:43 PM

As the white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, signaling the election of a new Pope, a sense of reflection and mourning was still present among Indigenous Catholics across Canada, who remember Pope Francis as an influential spiritual leader who listened deeply and spoke directly to the wounds of colonialism.

Deacon Harry LaFond, a Catholic leader from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, said the Pope’s 2022 visit to Canada marked a turning point in the relationship between the Catholic Church and Indigenous peoples.

“He represented the Catholic Church and came to Canada and spoke directly to the Indigenous people and spoke about the wrongs that had been done towards the Indigenous people, specifically here in Canada, and that meant a lot, especially to Indigenous Catholics,” said LaFond.

“There was a sense of loss from that perspective when he passed away. Now we can only hope that with the election of a new Pope, the dialogue and the rebuilding of the relationship will continue,” LaFond added.

Francis, who became the first Pope to apologize on Canadian soil for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system, was widely commended by Indigenous communities for his willingness to confront the painful history. His compassion was seen by many as not only a symbolic gesture but as a real step towards healing.

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LaFond emphasized that the Pope’s outreach laid groundwork for a deeper process of reconciliation that still needs to be nurtured.

“I think the contact with the Pope was a way of moving reconciliation forward. One of the actions I think would build trust would be to continue a direct communication between the Vatican and the Indigenous people of Canada.”

LaFond added one of the positive results he witnessed during Francis’ time as Pope, was many Catholic Indigenous leaders and communities coming to the surface to try to speak with a unified voice.

“It balances out the political voice with the spiritual leadership voice to take us to a new place of understanding and put us at a place where we can actually solve problems together,” he added.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV appears at the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Late Thursday morning it was announced that Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American, had been elected as the new Pope. Prevost chose his name and will now be known as Pope Leo XIV. According to the Associated Press Pope Leo was an American missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru and leads the Vatican’s powerful office of bishops. His election makes him the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church.

LaFond said he hopes to see the relationship between Catholic and Indigenous peoples continue to grow under his papacy.

“You must take the time to find each other’s voice and listen to each other closely and with good intent. I have great hope and believe in relationship building as a foundation. It doesn’t mean that everybody is going to become Roman Catholic, it’s just developing the capacity to dialogue openly about crucial spiritual issues and build a sense of trust more than we thought was possible,” he said.

Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday, April 21 2025. He made his last public appearance the day before, on Easter Sunday.

“I’m going to miss him. We’re going to miss him because he carried a powerful message to our country. He showed a great sense of empathy for Indigenous people,” said LaFond.

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Austin.mattes@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @AustinMattes