Here's what you need to know about the Pope's visit to Quebec

Pope Francis will be in Quebec City from July 27 to July 29 as part of a week-long trip to Canada to advance reconciliation and healing between the Roman Catholic Church and the First Nations, Mtis and Inuit communities who suffered from years of abuse in the residential school system.

Here's a guide to the events you can expect during the visit.

What public events are planned when the Pope comes to Quebec City?

At 6 p.m. ET on July 26 in Wendake, Que., near Quebec City, the Huron-Wendat nationwill organize anevent to welcome Indigenous marchers who are taking part in a healing march organized by the organization Puamun Meshkenu. The marchersstarted their walk atthe former site of the Pointe-Bleue residential school in the Saguenay region on July 21.

The Pope will arrive in Quebec City on Wednesday, July 27 just after 3 p.m. ET.

There will two spots where it will be possible to watch him drive in from the airport towardOld Quebec: along De l'Aroport Road and along Grande AlleStreet by the Plains of Abraham.

His arrival and subsequent public address and meeting with government officials will be broadcast on giant screens on the Plains of Abraham at two locations: behind the Mange militaire de Qubec and in front of the Muse national des beaux-arts du Qubec. The sites on the Plains will be able to welcome up to 160,000 people and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

From approximately 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. that day, there will also be musical performances fromIndigenous and non-Indigenous artistson the Plains.The event'stheme is "Walking Together: Hope for Reconciliation" and is meant to have a more sober tone.

Sometime between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the delegation of marchers from Wendake is expectedto arrive on the Plains. Organizers have said anyone is welcome and encouraged to join the final leg of the march in solidarity with Indigenous people.

On Thursday, July 28, the Pope will do a shortdriving procession aroundthe Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr Basilica, about 30 kilometres northeast of Quebec Cityearly in the morning.

He will then hold a mass at 10 a.m. ET at the basilica.

Spots at the basilica are limited and tickets for the general public are already sold out, but the event will also be broadcast on the Plains.

According to the papal visit website there will also be cultural activities before and after these main events, but details about those activities are still being determined.

All of these events are free to the public.

The Pope will leave Quebec City for Iqaluit on July 29.

Where can I watch the mass on July 28?

Seats inside the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr Basilica are reserved for Indigenous participants, delegations from Eastern Canadian dioceses and some government officials. The planning committee for the papal visit has confirmed residential school survivors will get front-row seats to the event.

Some 10,000 seats will be set up outside of the shrine, with the mass being broadcast there on giant screens. Two thousand of those seats are for the general public, but all the tickets have already been snatched up.

The Assembly of First Nations of Quebec is in charge of making sure spots are distributed fairly among Indigenous communities in the province. Indigenous people who wish to participate in the event must contact their nation's designated representative to secure a spot.

The planning committee for the papal visit in Quebec is asking those who don't have tickets to avoid the area and to watch the mass on the Plains of Abraham instead, where the mass will be broadcast on giant screens for anyone to watch.

The city of Quebec will havespecial seating for those who have reduced mobility and who wish to watch the event on the plains. People in this situation should call 418641-6050 to reserve a spot.

CBC News Network will broadcast themass during a special programhosted by Andrew Chang. It will be possible to watch the CBC's live coverage on a number of different platforms including CBC TV, theCBC News app andCBC Gem.

People can also watch the mass on the papal visit website, which will have a live translation of the event into 12 Indigenous languages.

The masswill be held in Spanish, the Pope's native language, but there will be English and French subtitles on the outdoor screens.

What should I bring if I plan to attend the events?

The planning committee is advising people to bring their own lawn chairs, small umbrellas or parasols to protect themselves from the sun, and coolers with food and snacks. People should also bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

Water bottles will be distributed for anyone who needs one at the basilica, and water bottle refill stations will be available at all the sites where the mass is broadcast. The city of Quebec has also said there will be misting machines on the Plains of Abraham to help people cool off.

The planning committee says there will be sufficient washrooms at each site. Medical personnel will also be stationed at each site.

How can I get to the site?

No car traffic will be allowed to and from the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr Basilica. Ticket holders must use a shuttle service that will bring them to the site. Over 80 shuttles are planned for this event. The shuttles will be departing from two locations: the Vidotron ExpoCit Centre in Quebec City, and the Mont-Sainte-Anne parking lot.

The shuttles will run between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., but people are asked to arrive between 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. because they must go through a security checkpoint before they can embark.

Those who are camping or staying at a hotel in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr will be able to walk to the basilica and pass the security checkpoint directly at the site.

The city of Quebec is asking those who plan to attend the event on the Plains of Abraham to walk there or take public transportation to avoid traffic congestion downtown.

The Rseau de transport de la Capitale,Quebec City's public transit agency, will have ashuttle service on July 27 and 28to get tothe events on the plains. The shuttles will departfrom: Universit Lavalnear the Alphonse-Desjardins pavillion, the parking lot on the corner of 41 Street East and Henri-Bourassa, and the Hydro-Quebec parking lot on De Celles Street.

How can I protect myself from COVID-19 during the event?

The CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, the health authority for Quebec City and the surrounding regions, is urging people who wish to attend anyevents related tothe papal visit to be cautious and take precautions, such as wearing a mask.

Surgical masks and hand sanitizer will be distributed to participants who will be using shuttles to go to Sainte-Anne-de-BeauprBasilica for the specialmass on Thursday.

The health authority is also asking people to stay home and get testedif they have any symptoms.

Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand will not be able to attend any of the events because he tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

What sort of support will be available for survivors and their families?

Indigenous Services Canada has partnered with the Catholic Church to ensure residential school survivors and their loved ones have access to trauma-informed wellness support systems, including traditional healers and elders, throughout the papal visit. Mental health support workers will also be present at each site.

National helplines and other mental wellness services will continue to be available during the papal visit:

• Hope for Wellness Help Line: Call 1-855-242-3310
• National Residential School Crisis Line: Call 1-866-925-4419
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line: Call 1-844-413-6649

What impact will there be on traffic?

Highway 138 will be closed to traffic in both directions from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 28, when the Pope delivers his mass. The eastbound lane will be closed offfrom des MontagnardsStreet in BeauprtoParStreet in Chteau-Richer, and the westbound lane will be closed off from des MontagnardsStreet toCtede l'glise in Boischatel.

The highway will be completely closed off to trucks, RVs, cars with trailers and any other kind of heavy vehiclebetween the bridge to le d'Orlans and Highway360 in Beaupr. Those vehicles willhave to do a detour through the Saguenay regionhighways 175 and 172. The Transport Ministrysaid trucker associations and companies have already been warned of this disruption.

Small cars will be able to take a detour through Avenue Royale, Cte Sainte-Anne, des Montagnards Street, des Chutes Boulevard and Highway A-40. There will be signs and traffic control officers directing vehicles.

Emergency vehicles will still be allowed to circulate. Residents and businesses locatedalong Highway 138 have already been notified of the disruptions,according to Quebecprovincial police.

In Quebec City, Mayor Bruno Marchand is asking people to avoid driving in Old Quebec and the Plains of Abraham as much as possible, and to work from home if they can. There will be traffic disruptions in the downtown area and in the area around the Jean Lesage airport.

Parkingin some streets in Old Quebec will be temporarily banned fromJuly 25 to July 30. The city is opening up some parking spacesat the city hallparking lot for residents who have a street parking permit during that time.

More details on these disruptions are available on the city's website.

There will also be no public access to the airport Jean Lesagebetween 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on July 27, when the Pope arrives.The airport is asking passengers who have flights in the afternoonto arrive before2 p.m.

More details will be shared on this page as new information becomes available.