Tickets available for Pope Francis Mass at Commonwealth Stadium

The Canadian visit comes after Francis apologized to Indigenous delegates at the Vatican for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada’s residential schools and the intergenerational trauma they caused

Content of the article

The first block of tickets for Pope Francis’ outdoor mass at Commonwealth Stadium sold out in 30 minutes on Wednesday morning.

Content of the article

A spokesman for the papal visit said 16,000 tickets had been sold in the first block for the mass which is expected to hold up to 65,000 people.

The mass is part of the pope’s Canadian tour later this month, which will begin with his arrival in Edmonton on July 24.

On July 25, he is to visit the site of the former Ermineskin boarding school in Maskwacis, about 80 km south of Edmonton. There he will join residential school survivors from across the country for a formal event before performing at Sacred Heart Church of First Peoples in the McCauley community of Edmonton later in the day.

For St. Anne’s Day on July 26, Francis will celebrate with an outdoor Mass at Commonwealth Stadium and incorporate Indigenous traditions.

Content of the article

The Pope will visit a place of pilgrimage at Lac Ste. Anne, about 97 km northwest of Edmonton, in the evening.

The Canadian visit comes after Francis apologized to Indigenous delegates at the Vatican for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in Canada’s residential schools and the intergenerational trauma they caused.

Indigenous leaders in Canada have called on the pope to apologize on Canadian soil.

Two more blocks of tickets will be released at 10:30 a.m. on July 11 and July 18. Individuals can order up to six tickets for the mass.

Complimentary tickets to attend Mass on July 26 are available online on the Papal Visit website at papalvisit.ca.

ajunker@postmedia.com