Prime Minister Mark Carney had a brief audience with Pope Leo XIV Sunday afternoon at the Vatican following the pontiff’s inaugural mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Carney was seated in the second row with his wife Diana for the mass, in a section amongst other world leaders and heads of state.
The prime minister, who is a devout Catholic, was one of the few world leaders to kneel during the blessing of the Eucharist, and was spotted at two instances taking a picture of the Pope on his phone to mark the occasion — before the mass started and after it had concluded.
After the mass, he briefly met the Pope inside St. Peter’s Basilica, alongside his wife and their daughter Cleo.
Carney also met other world leaders at the same time, adding to his growing list of official introductions over the weekend. He held spoke with the prime ministers of Australia, Croatia and Ireland, as well as the presidents of Israel and Nigeria.
Carney had a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier Sunday before driving to the Vatican. He had similar meetings with leaders of Italy, Ukraine and the European Union Saturday.
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Thirteen Canadian MPs also attended 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 said he was 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.
Pope Leo — the first American to hold the title — called for unity in his homily.
“In this time, we still see too much discord, too many wars caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economy that exploits the Earth’s resources,” he said.
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.”
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