ROME – Prime Minister Mark Carney is at the Vatican today, leading a Canadian delegation attending the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV.
Carney, a devout Catholic, will be among a number of world leaders and heads of state in attendance who will all have a brief meeting with the pontiff inside Saint Peter’s Basilica after the mass.
Carney met a number of them on Saturday on his first official visit to Italy, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who he hosted at Canada’s Official Residence to the Italian Republic.
Thirteen Canadian MPs will also attend the mass, including Jaime Battiste, who was part of a reception with Canadian Catholic Cardinals on Saturday evening in Rome alongside the prime minister.
The Nova Scotia MP says he’s looking forward to hearing how the Pope “sets the tone” for how he will lead.
“It’s kind of like our version of the speech from the throne as members of Parliament,” Battiste told reporters outside Canada’s Official Residence.
Indigenous leaders have long called on the Vatican to repatriate thousands of Indigenous artifacts taken from communities in Canada. The late Pope Francis had expressed a willingness to return colonial-era artifacts in the Vatican Museum.
Battiste said the return of the artifacts came up in his meeting with the Cardinals, and their return is an important step toward reconciliation.
“I’ve always said that reconciliation is a journey, not a destination, and we all have steps to take on that journey,” Battiste said.
“I was proud to see our prime minister was talking about reconciliation between Indigenous communities and the Catholic church.”
Quebec MP Jean-Yves Duclos is also part of the Canadian delegation to the Vatican.
He said the church plays an important role in fostering peace between countries. Last week Leo offered to host peace talks at the Vatican between Russia and Ukraine.
“We need more peace in this world, and I think we will be hearing more of that on the part of the Pope,” Duclos told reporters.
“I think (hosting peace talks) is a very important thing that the church can do. The church is not an armed country, it’s a small state … with a lot of influence. To try to bring people together, as opposed to divide our humanity, is the right thing to do.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 18, 2025.
