Fr Cristino Bouvette, The Chair of Christian Thought Lebel Lecture on Christian Ethics

With the historic visit of Pope Francis to Canada in the summer of 2022, some have understandably asked how that event will spark a renewed effort on the part of the Roman Catholic Church to both reconcile its institutional past involvement with the Indian Residential School System and the wounded relations that involvement has caused with Indigenous Peoples which has ensued into the present. Fr. Cristino Bouvette speaks from his experience serving as the National Liturgical Coordinator of the Papal Visit to Canada, while of Indigenous heritage himself and the descendant of generations of residential school students. He will explore how an easily overlooked theme in the comments of Pope Francis must signal a new opportunity for the Catholic hierarchy specifically, but for all Canadians of good will to reconsider the significance of the popular phrase “we are all treaty people” while being aware of the aggressively advancing threat Indigenous Peoples face guarding their vitality, independence, and future.
This event was co-organized with the Calgary Central Library.

Fr. Cristino Bouvette is a born and raised Albertan of mixed Cree-Métis and Italian heritage, ordained in the Diocese of Calgary in 2012. He currently serves as Vicar for Vocations and Young Adults, having helped to establish the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy for young adults. He oversees that growing project based out of St. Mary’s Cathedral while providing pastoral care for students across the city including those on the campus of the University of Calgary.