Pope Benedict XVI has been given gifts and an invite from Manitoba First Nations chiefs, who want him to visit their communities.
David Harper, grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), the agency representing chiefs in the province's north, had a 15-minute audience with the Pope inside the Vatican on Wednesday.
Harper used the opportunity to talk about the plight on reserves regarding access to safe and clean drinking water.
CBC News report on Monday revealed that many people on northern First Nations are still forced to haul water into their homes, pail by pail, cutting into a frozen lake during the winter.
There's no running water and no bathroom in many homes.
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs has launched a postcard campaign to raise awareness about the situation.
The cards feature a photo of a young boy, his face covered with a rash, and a bold headline stating: Water is a human right.
The postcards, addressed to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seek to embarrass the federal government into doing something about the problem.
Harper said he and a handful of other chiefs who were also in the meeting, gave the Pope a gift consisting of a pair of handmade slippers and a set of gauntlets.
"He said that he would wear that when he comes up to Canada," Harper said, adding the chiefs also "handed him a letter stating that we want him up into one of the MKO regions on his next visit."
While the Pope was receptive to the idea, there is no confirmation he has any plans to visit Canada just yet.
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