'This is Pope Francis being Pope Francis': Papal commentators among those left disappointed by visit

Pope Francis arrived in Canada earlier this week for a historic six-day visit and apology for the Catholic Church's role in Canada’s residential school system. But church commentators, like David Deane, say they’ve been left disappointed.

Deane, a theology professor at the Atlantic School of Theology, says the visit went just how he expected it to.

“This is not something that has been organized by a public relations team. This is Pope Francis being Pope Francis – expressing his personal grief, expressing his personal remorse and that’s what we’ve seen. We’ve seen an imperfect man make an imperfect apology, which was none the less extremely heartfelt, extremely personal and extremely real.”

Deane adds that if the visit was being run by The Roman Curia, it would look very different.

“They would of had a massive list of things to apologize for and he would of just simply given the sound bites to tick them off. He hasn’t done that,” says Deane. “Anyone who is familiar with Pope Francis knows that everything he said, in the apologies, it was all very much who he is and what he’s about.”

Reaction to the Pope’s apology has also been mixed from residential school survivors across the country.

“Some people who have been looking to hear some things from the Pope have heard them. They’ve heard and seen the reality of his remorse. Others, who are looking for an apology for the Doctrine of Discovery, or are looking for other things to be ticked off, they haven’t been satisfied and won’t be satisfied.

Despite the mixed reaction, Deane still considers it a successful visit.

“I think what he wanted to do was come here and express his sorrow, his remorse, his shame and his guilt. And by that standard it has been a success.”

Large crowds, which are normally seen during papal visits to Canada, have been smaller during this trip. Dean says a trip with waving crowds and a Popemobile isn’t what this one was about.

“Despite that, there was a little bit of that (Thursday) night in Quebec City and I think that speaks to the affection that people have for him. Huge amounts of people who are angry – understandably and rightly so with their own Catholic church – nonetheless, they know Pope Francis, they know his heart, they know what he’s about, they know his genuine remorse and pain.”

Deane also calls Pope Francis’ visit “a first step” to beginning a new relationship between the Catholic Church and First Nations peoples of Canada. He says there are two paths forward for the church – one public, and one private.

“The public way will be that hopefully this visit will kick start the reparations that the church has committed to financially. Hopefully it can place the focus at the diocesan, and indeed within personal Roman Catholics, to make more contributions financially to somehow repay some of the horrific things that have taken place.”

The other step is reconciliation, which Deane says is closer to Pope Francis’ heart.

“Reconciliation involves a change of heart, it involved someone looking at someone else with love and respect and that’s the most important thing and that’s a relational process and ultimately there are no strategies or systems that can change the reality of Canada on the basis of its painful history. There needs to be a genuine change of heart and hopefully Pope Francis can make a contribution, however small, to that change of heart.“

Pope Francis is set to fly back to Rome from Iqaluit Friday night.