Carney wheels up to Rome ahead of Pope’s inaugural mass

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney is flying to Italy, where he is set to attend Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass on Sunday.

The inaugural mass, which serves as a swearing-in of sorts for a new pope, is drawing many international leaders and Carney is expected to have bilateral meetings with several of them during the trip.

The Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed that Carney will meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Carney is a devout Catholic but was unable to attend Pope Francis’s funeral on April 26 because it fell two days before the federal election.

U.S. Vice-President JD Vance, French Prime Minister François Bayrou and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese are among those who have confirmed they’re attending, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prince Edward.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and Métis National Council president Victoria Pruden are travelling with the Canadian delegation, as well as more than a dozen members of Parliament and senators.

Pruden is calling on the Vatican’s Amina Mundi Museum to return Métis cultural artifacts in its collection.

“We are asking the Vatican to work with Métis knowledge-keepers, historians and experts to identify which items in their collection belong to our people and to return them,” Pruden said in a media statement.

“These artifacts were taken during eras of profound injustice. Their return is an essential step in advancing reconciliation and repairing the deep harms caused by colonial policies, including the role the church played in the residential school system.”

Indigenous leaders previously called upon the late Pope Francis to return the artifacts. In 2023, he promised to do so but it hasn’t happened yet.

Pope Leo, still new to the role, has not said yet whether he will honour that pledge.

In an address to diplomats posted by the Vatican on Friday morning, Pope Leo reaffirmed the church’s efforts to “reach out to and embrace all individuals and all peoples on the Earth” through peace, justice and truth.

“I believe that religions and interreligious dialogue can make a fundamental contribution to fostering a climate of peace. This naturally requires full respect for religious freedom in every country, since religious experience is an essential dimension of the human person,” he said.

“Without it, it is difficult, if not impossible, to bring about the purification of the heart necessary for building peaceful relationships.”

Woodhouse Nepinak said in a media statement Friday she welcomes the Pope’s message of “peace and bridge-building among all people.”

“I am honoured to attend the inaugural mass on behalf of First Nations across this country and repeat our invitation for His Holiness to continue the important work of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, especially those who suffered the harms of residential schools,” she said.

Other members of the delegation include members of Parliament Jaime Battiste, Arielle Kayabaga and Jean-Yves Duclos as well as senators Toni Varone and Tony Loffreda. Rev. Pierre Goudreault and Rev. Jean Vezina from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops are also travelling with the Canadian delegation.

The inaugural mass will likely be the first time Leo enters or leaves St. Peter’s Square in the “popemobile.”

Leo will also receive a fisherman’s ring in honour of St. Peter, the first pope, which is made with gold and engraved with a boat and the new pope’s name. That ring will be destroyed when Leo either dies or resigns.

He will also receive a small strip of lambswool to be placed over his shoulders – a symbol of his role as a shepherd of the church’s flock.

Between 150,000 and 200,000 people are expected to attend the mass.

— With files from Alessia Passafiume and The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press