Prime Minister Carney Meets Pope Leo XIV After Inaugural Mass

Photo: X/@CanadianPM

Prime Minister Mark Carney had a short meeting with Pope Leo XIV on Sunday afternoon at the Vatican. This meeting happened right after the Pope’s first big mass in St. Peter’s Square.

During the mass, Carney sat in the second row with his wife Diana. They were seated in a special area with other important world leaders and heads of state. Carney, who is a devoted Catholic, was one of the few leaders who kneeled during the blessing of the Eucharist, which is a sacred moment in the mass. He also took pictures of the Pope twice on his phone—once before the mass started and once after it ended—to remember the special day.

After the mass, Carney met the Pope inside St. Peter’s Basilica. He was with his wife and their daughter Cleo during this meeting. Besides meeting the Pope, Carney also met several other world leaders during the weekend. He talked with the prime ministers of Australia, Croatia, and Ireland, as well as the presidents of Israel and Nigeria.

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Earlier on Sunday, Carney had a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz before driving to the Vatican. On Saturday, he had similar meetings with leaders from Italy, Ukraine, and the European Union.

Thirteen Canadian members of Parliament (MPs) also went to the mass. One of them, Jaime Battiste from Nova Scotia, attended a reception with Canadian Catholic Cardinals on Saturday evening in Rome. Carney was also there at this event.

Battiste said he was excited to hear what the Pope would say during his speech. He compared the Pope’s speech to Canada’s “speech from the throne,” which is an important speech by the government.

Pope Leo, who is the first American Pope, spoke about the need for unity in his homily. He said that even today, there is still too much fighting and war caused by hate, violence, and fear of people who are different. He also mentioned how the economy is hurting the Earth by using too many of its resources.

Indigenous leaders in Canada have long asked the Vatican to return many Indigenous artifacts that were taken from their communities. The previous Pope, Francis, had shown interest in giving back these important objects from the Vatican Museum.

Battiste said he talked about returning these artifacts during his meeting with the Cardinals. He believes that returning the artifacts is an important step toward healing and making peace with Indigenous communities.

He said, “Reconciliation is a journey, not a destination. We all need to take steps on this journey.” Battiste was proud to see that the Prime Minister also talked about reconciliation between Indigenous people and the Catholic Church.

Jean-Yves Duclos, an MP from Quebec, was also part of the Canadian group at the Vatican. He said that the Church has a big role in helping countries find peace. Last week, Pope Leo offered to host peace talks at the Vatican to help end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Duclos told reporters, “We need more peace in this world, and I think the Pope will keep working for that.” He also said that the Church is a small country without weapons but has a lot of influence. Duclos believes it is good that the Church tries to bring people together instead of dividing them.

This visit to the Vatican was important for Carney and the Canadian leaders as they took part in a special event with the new Pope and talked about important issues like peace and reconciliation.