Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to represent Canada at Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday

By Canadian Press on April 23, 2025.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney will not be taking time away from the federal election campaign to attend the funeral for Pope Francis.

He says Gov. Gen. Mary Simon will represent Canada alongside a senior delegation at the Vatican ceremony on Saturday.

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister’s Office says the rest of the delegation hasn’t been finalized.

Carney says it wouldn’t be right to leave Canada ahead of Monday’s vote.

Pope Francis visited Canada in 2022 for what he called a “penitential pilgrimage” to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system.

Simon, who is Inuk, said recently that the apology was “a testament to his commitment to respect, dialogue and collaboration across cultures and faiths.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

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