Edmonton Journal 

Wednesday's letters: Alberta taxpayers shouldn't pay for papal visit

The more I consider the egregious spending behind the papal visit, the more infuriated I end up. Consider the $20 million contributed by the province, for a goodwill tour by a religious figure. Regardless of what religious institution he represents, this should not be taxpayer-funded. If the Catholic Church, and even its Alberta-based congregations, would like to raise money, fine.


Pope Francis recites the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, July 3, 2022.

What message does this send to the population of Alberta when health-care funding is cut, and mental health care is all but unaffordable? The recent NDP freedom of information request revealed record numbers of instances without ambulances available. That we can spend tens of millions of dollars to have the representative of an institution that has covered up child abuse for decades, if not longer, is disgusting. This isn’t even taking into account the cultural genocide committed against the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

This is a complete misspending of public funds, at best, and a complete moral misstep.

Brad Lawson, Edmonton