At his public audience on Sunday, July 17, Pope Francis asked the faithful to support him with his prayers as he prepares for a “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada, where he will apologize for the role of the Church in the “residential schools.”

The Pope said with regret that the Church had “contributed to the policies of cultural assimilation that, in the past, have severely harmed indigenous communities.”

Pope Francis is scheduled to leave Rome next Sunday, July 24, for a 4-day visit to Canada.