Canada–Holy See relations

Although the Roman Catholic Church has been territorially established in Canada since the founding of New France in the early 16th century, Holy See–Canada relations were only officially established during the pontificate of Pope Paul VI in 1969.

In part, this is because the Holy See had lost its territorial sovereignty over the Papal States during the pontificate of Pope Pius IX and that territorial sovereignty over Vatican City State was only established by the Lateran Treaty of 1929. Also, relations with neighbouring Italy were poor during the regime of Benito Mussolini, and they were only re-established after World War II ended in 1945.

Areas of cooperation between Ottawa and Rome have traditionally included education, health care, the struggle against poverty and international diplomacy. Before the establishment of the welfare state, Church involvement was evident in many sectors of Canadian society. Today, Canada's international preoccupations in favor of justice and peace are often in line with those of Rome, which favors dialogue on a global level.

Pope John Paul II was the first pope to visit Canada in 1984 and re-visited Canada in 1987 and 2002.

In April 2022, Pope Francis apologized to the Indigenous people of Canada for the role of the Catholic Church in the Canadian Indian residential school system. He said that he will visit Canada in July 2022. Pope Francis arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on July 24, 2022. On Monday July 25th he visited Maskwacis and according to Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild prayed in a small chapel for children lost in the residential schools. He prayed again in the cemetery containing the graves of children who died in one of the largest residential schools in Canada. Then at a ceremony attended by many Indigenous elders he apologized in the course of the ceremony which was replete with traditional song, dance and ceremony. The Pope was given a traditional headdress by Chief Littlechild.