The sovereign pontiff arrived in the popemobile in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec, greeting the crowd again mainly made up of Amerindians.
“We too, faced with the scandal of evil and the wounded Body of Christ in the flesh of our native brethren, are steeped in bitterness and we feel the weight of failure,” the pope said.
"Why did all this happen? How could this happen in the community of those who follow Jesus?", asked the sovereign pontiff again.
Inside the sanctuary, just in front of the altar and a few meters from Francis at the start of the mass, demonstrators unfurled a banner that read: “Annul the doctrine”, in reference to the papal edicts of the 15th century which allowed European powers to colonize non-Christian lands and peoples.
The inscription, however, was only present on the side of the banner opposite the pope, and it was calmly removed soon after.
This visit is "a message of hope", confides to AFP Desneiges Petiquay, 54, of the Manawan reserve, who wears around his neck an orange scarf in tribute to the missing indigenous children. She got up at 4:00 a.m. to arrive early and be in the front row in front of the church, where giant screens are set up.
"This pope knows that we exist here, he recognizes us. I read his biography, for me he is a good pope. Yesterday, I saw him up close, it touched me here", says- her putting her hand on her heart.
According to the diocese of Quebec, 70% of the tickets distributed free of charge to attend the event were reserved for indigenous communities (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), to which the pope renewed his request for forgiveness for the drama of boarding schools for children between the end of the 19th century and the 1990s.
"Personally, it was not enough," said Abigail Brooks, 23, a member of Saint Mary's First Nation in the province of New Brunswick. She hopes for other actions to show that the Church wants true reconciliation.
The French-speaking province of Quebec has the largest number of Catholics in Canada, but attendance has nevertheless been below expectations since the start of the visit, in the context of a declining Church.
In the afternoon, the 85-year-old pope will deliver a homily at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Quebec, in the presence of religious representatives. On Friday, for the last stage, he will stop for a few hours in Iqaluit (Nunavut), in the Arctic archipelago.
