Submitted
Winnipeg, MB, in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis – It is with great sadness that the Manitoba Métis Federation, the National Government of the Red River Métis, acknowledges the passing of Pope Francis, whose compassion and humbleness gave great hope for the future, as a visionary and inclusive leader of the Catholic Church.
When I led a delegation of Red River Métis survivors, Elders, and Youth to meet him in 2022, we were struck by his sincerity, his desire to listen, and the sincerity of his apology to our people during this precious encounter. Despite the risks of exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, he made the exceptional decision to greet and shake hands with every single member of our delegation. Every member felt his true respect and left feeling honoured and recognized. His decision to come to Canada to honour the Indigenous Peoples and acknowledge the past harms showed his character and his integrity.
The chance to meet with him personally will be a memory I will always cherish. It was an honour to interact with him, see his smile, and even to share a moment of humour about which pen to use when he signed our Manitoba Métis Self-Government Recognition and Implementation Agreement. It was clear to all of us that he was a man of intellect, compassion, and love.
I, along with many Citizens, prayed for his recovery when he was in the hospital and felt joy to see his return to his work, even if it was only for the last task of overseeing the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in this Holy Week. It is my belief that the timing of Pope Francis’ passing is a great sign of his holiness, being called home while we are honouring the sacrifices of Jesus Christ during this holy time.
There can be no doubt of the immense role the Catholic Church played with our leader Louis Riel, including the efforts of Father Ritchot to represent the interests of our provisional government in Ottawa as we negotiated bringing Manitoba into Canada’s confederation. The National Government of Red River Métis will honour these efforts and the apology given to us by Pope Francis through the display of the Self-Government Agreement he signed, and his gift of a symbolic olive branch to our Nation in our new heritage centre when it opens in 2026.
Pope Francis truly took a profound and heartfelt interest in the events of the world and used his position and his voice to speak on behalf of the innocent and the downtrodden, and to hold aggressors accountable for their actions. His voice of compassion and reason will be missed.
