Pope Francis makes first papal visit to French island Corsica
FRANCE
Pope Francis landed in Corsica Sunday for his first papal visit to the French island. The pope is expected to highlight the enduring religious traditions of the island as well as the ongoing deaths of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
Issued on: 15/12/2024 - 09:02Modified: 15/12/2024 - 15:03
Pope Francis’ one-day visit to the French island of Corsica on Sunday, two days before his 88th birthday, puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other.
The visit to Corsica’s capital Ajaccio, birthplace of Napoleon, will be one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy’s borders, just about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute visit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
It is the first papal visit to the island, which Genoa ceded to France in 1768 and is located closer to the Italian mainland than France.
Corsica stands out from the rest of secularized France as a particularly devout region, with 92 confraternities, or lay associations dedicated to works of charity or piety, with over 4,000 members.
“It means that there is a beautiful, mature, adult and responsible collaboration between civil authorities, mayors, deputies, senators, officials and religious authorities,’’ Ajaccio Cardinal François Bustillo told The Associated Press. “There is no hostility between the two. And that is a very positive aspect because in Corsica there is no ideological hostility.”
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Papa Francescu, the pope’s name in Corsican, will address more than 400 participants at the Conference on Popular Religiosity in the Mediterranean, organized by the bishop of Ajaccio, Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo.
The pope’s remarks will include reflections on local religious traditions, especially strongly held in Corsica, including the cult of the Virgin Mary, known locally as the Madunnuccia, which protected the island from the plague in 1656 when it was still under Genoa.
“The Mediterranean is the backdrop of this trip, surrounded by situations of crisis and conflict,’’ which is expected to be echoed in the pope’s address, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. The pope has often referred to the tragedy of migration, which he has said has turned the Mediterranean into "Europe's largest cemetery.'
After the conference address, he will travel to the 17th-century cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta to meet with clergy, stopping along the way at the statue of the Madunnuccia. Francis will celebrate Mass at the Place d’Austerlitz park, where it is said Napoleon played as a child. Around 7,000 faithful are expected. He will meet privately with Macron at the airport before departing for the 50-minute flight back to Rome.
The pontiff pointedly did not make the trip to Paris earlier this month for the pomp surrounding the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral following the devastating 2019 fire. The visit to Corsica seems far more suited to Francis’ priorities than a grand cathedral reopening, emphasizing the “church of the peripheries.”
It is Francis’ third trip to France, each time avoiding Paris and the protocols that a state visit entails. He visited the port of Marseille in 2023, on an overnight visit to participate in an annual summit of Mediterranean bishops, and went to Strasbourg in 2014 to address the European Parliament and Council of Europe.
Corsica is home to more than 340,000 people and has been part of France since 1768. But the island has also seen pro-independence violence and has an influential nationalist movement, and last year Macron proposed granting it limited autonomy.
AJACCIO, Corsica (AP) — Pope Francis on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society.
Francis appeared relaxed and energized during the one-day visit, just two days before his 88th birthday, still displaying a faded bruise from a fall a week ago.
He frequently deviated from his prepared homily during Mass at the outdoor La Place d’Austerlitz, remarking at one point that he had never seen so many children as in Corsica — except, he added, in East Timor on his recent Asian tour.
“Make children,″ he implored. ”They will be your joy and your consolation in the future.”
Earlier, at the close of a Mediterranean conference on popular piety, Papa Francescu, as he is called in Corsican, described a concept of secularity “that is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic,” that can adapt to “unforeseen situations” and promote cooperation “between civil and ecclesial authorities.”
The pontiff said that expressions of popular piety, including processions and communal prayer of the Holy Rosary “can nurture constructive citizenship” on the part of Christians. At the same time, he warned against such manifestations being seen only in terms of folklore, or even superstition.
You can share an article by clicking on the share icons at the top right of it. The total or partial reproduction of an article, without the prior written authorization of Le Monde, is strictly forbidden. For more information, see our Terms and Conditions. For all authorization requests, contact syndication@lemonde.fr. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/religions/article/2024/12/14/pope-francis-s-complex-relationship-with-france_6736056_63.html Pope Francis's complex relationship with FranceOne week after the opening ceremonies of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which he chose not to attend, the pope will travel to Corsica for a religious conference. This third trip to the country once again illustrates Francis' paradoxical relationship with France. By Robin Richardot and Gaétan SupertinoPublished on December 14, 2024, at 4:30 am (Paris) 6 min read Lire en français Subscribers only
Pope Francis at a mass at the Stade Velodrome, Marseille, September 23, 2023. VATICAN MEDIA VIA ABACAFor the third time, Pope Francis is preparing a trip to France. After visiting the European Parliament in Strasbourg in 2014 and taking part in the Rencontres Méditerranéennes in Marseille in September 2023, he will head for Ajaccio, Corsica, on Sunday, December 15. As with his previous trips, the Pontiff is not making an official state visit, but will be taking part in a conference on popular religiosity − the Vatican press release, issued on November 23, didn't even mention France. Read more Subscribers only Pope Francis will visit Corsica. Here's how his historic trip was plannedThis visit, just one week after the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris, which he refused to attend − despite multiple invitations sent by the Elysée as well as the diocese − is obviously not going unnoticed. As Le Monde revealed in November, the pope's agenda annoyed the Elysée and triggered an incensed phone call from Emmanuel Macron's teams to the archbishop of Ajaccio, Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, who had initiated the conference. The Holy See is reluctant to offer an explanation for the refusal to go to Paris. "The trip to Corsica is in line with other trips to Europe, which have always favored smaller countries and more frontier locations," said a senior Vatican source, who wishes to remain anonymous. "Corsica is part of France, but it's also an island in the Mediterranean, that great basin that is fast becoming a tomb for so many migrants. I see a link with the trip to Marseille, but none with
Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron met on Sunday during the pontiff’s visit to Corsica, where they discussed international concerns and shared a moment of levity about the importance of maintaining a sense of humor.
The 40-minute private meeting took place in a room at Ajaccio’s Napoleon Bonaparte Airport, where the two leaders addressed several pressing international issues, including conflicts in the Holy Land, Lebanon, and Ukraine.
Both expressed their desire for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and discussed the situation in Syria, advocating for a “just and inclusive” political transition that would protect minorities.
During their exchange, Macron presented the Pope with a book about Notre-Dame Cathedral, while Francis reciprocated with papal medals and magisterial documents. The Pope specifically recommended that Macron read his apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exultate, drawing attention to the passage referencing St. Thomas More’s prayer for a sense of humor.
“Lord, give me a sense of humor. Grant me the grace to understand a joke, to discover in life a bit of joy, and to be able to share it with others,” reads the prayer, which Pope Francis has previously described as “very beautiful” and recites daily.
The meeting came just a week after the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, an event the pope declined to attend. Instead, he presided over a consistory at the Vatican, where he created 21 new cardinals on the same day, Dec. 7.
French President Emmanuel Macron exchanges gifts with Pope Francis during a papal visit to Corsica on Dec. 15, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN/Vatican Pool
The brief but significant visit marked Francis’s 47th apostolic journey abroad. Earlier Sunday, the pope participated in a conference on popular piety in the Mediterranean region, where he advocated for “healthy secularism” that ensures political action without instrumentalizing religion.
In an unprecedented break from tradition, Pope Francis did not hold his usual in-flight press conference with journalists on the return journey to Rome. He did, however, thank the press corps for its presence and commented on Corsica being a land “of children,” stating: “I was happy to see a people that makes children: This is the future.”
The Pope will celebrate his 88th birthday on Dec. 17.
It will be the first visit by a pope to the island in the Mediterranean, which belongs to France.
The 87-year-old will take part in a conference on the topic of religiosity in the Mediterranean region and celebrate mass there.
A meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron is also planned. A meeting between the Pope and the head of state is planned for the afternoon at Ajaccio International Airport.
The Pope will then leave the island at 6.15 pm after a short farewell ceremony. The entire visit will last nine hours.
The bishop of the Corsican regional capital Ajaccio, Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo, had already given a press conference on Thursday on the occasion of the possible visit and presented a website for the event.
This will be Francis' third short visit to France - after Strasbourg in 2014 and Marseille in 2023.
An official state visit to Paris is still pending.
Cardinal Bustillo as a beacon of hope
Corsica is one of the economically poorest regions in France and is characterised by a relatively strong Catholicism with strong local traditions.
Cardinal Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio since 2021, comes from the Basque Country and studied in Italy. He speaks fluent Spanish, Italian and French, among other languages. For some years now, he has been seen as a new beacon of hope in the crisis-ridden French Catholic Church.
Last autumn, Pope Francis made the cleric, who belongs to the Franciscan order, a cardinal. The Vatican announced his trip to Corsica on Bustillo's 56th birthday. It had been described in Vatican circles as "as good as certain" for weeks.
Dispute over independence from France
According to Bustillo, there were still "protocol-related" problems that had to be resolved first.
The "Femu a Corsica" party, which is in favour of autonomy for the island, has had an absolute majority in the Corsican regional parliament since 2021.
Corsica's political situation has been characterised for decades by the dispute over independence from France.
Between 1976 and 2014, the FLNC liberation movement repeatedly rocked the island with bomb attacks.
In 2022, there were violent clashes between young Corsican nationalists and the French police in Ajaccio.
Just eight months ago, the Corsican regional parliament approved a constitutional reform at the suggestion of President Macron. It is intended to grant the island extensive autonomy within the French Republic.
However, radical Corsican nationalists see the reform as merely a first step on the road to independence.
The official motto of the Pope's trip was written in Corsican and reads "Papa Francescu in Corsica".
Under constructionAerial view of the Obelisco in 2018Obelisco de Buenos Aires and 9 de Julio AvenueTop of the Obelisk of Buenos Aires
Construction began on March 20, 1936, and it was finished on May 23 of the same year.[1] It was designed by architect Alberto Prebisch (one of the main architects of the Argentine modernism who also designed the Teatro Gran Rex, in Corrientes and Suipacha) at the request of the mayor Mariano de Vedia y Mitre (appointed by president Agustín Pedro Justo).[1] For its construction, which cost 200,000 pesos moneda nacional, 680 cubic meters (24,000 cu ft) of concrete and 1,360 square meters (14,600 sq ft) of Olaen white stone from Córdoba were used.[2][3]
The obelisk was built by the German company G.E.O.P.E. - Siemens Bauunion - Grün & Bilfinger, which completed its work in a record time of 31 days, with 157 workers. The rapid hardening Incor cement was used and was built in sections of 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) to facilitate the dumping of concrete.[4][5]
Its height is 67.5 metres (221 ft), and 63 metres (207 ft) of these are up to the initiation of the apex, which is 3.5 by 3.5 meters (11 by 11 ft). The tip is blunt, measuring 40 centimeters (16 in) and ends in a lightning rod that cannot be seen because of the height; its cables run through the interior of the obelisk.[6]
It has only one entrance (on its west side) and on its top there are four windows, that can only be reached by a straight staircase of 206 steps with 7 breaks every 6–8 meters (20–26 ft).[6]
On February 20, 1938, Roberto María Ortiz succeeded Justo as president and appointed Arturo Goyeneche as the new mayor of the city. In June 1939, the city council sanctioned the demolition of the Obelisco, citing economic, aesthetic and public safety reasons. However, the ordinance was vetoed by the municipal executive power, characterizing it as an act without merit and juridical content, because it alters the state of things emanated by the executive power, and that it was a monument under the jurisdiction and custody of the Nation and is part of its heritage.[7]
Where the Obelisk stands, there was a church dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari; it was demolished. In that church the Argentine flag was officially hoisted for the first time in Buenos Aires, in 1812. That fact is noted in one of the inscriptions on the north side of the monument.[8]
As a result of the detachments of sheets of stone covering, which occurred on the night of June 20–21, 1938, the day after a public event with the presence of president Ortiz took place there. It was decided to remove such cladding in 1943 and was replaced by another one made of polished cement, making cracks to simulate the joints of the stones. When the slabs were removed, a legend that said "Its architect was Alberto Prebisch" was also removed.[9]
In 1973, it was decorated as a Christmas tree.[9] In 1975, during the Peronist government of Isabel Perón, a ring-shaped rotating sign was hung around the obelisk, with the motto El silencio es salud (Silence is health). Although it was allegedly geared against motorists creating excessive noise, it was widely interpreted as a statement calling Argentines to refrain from expressing their political views.[10]
Throughout its history, the monument has suffered vandalism, especially politically oriented graffiti. In the 1980s, an activist group broke in and spilled paint from the top windows, causing the city government to erect a fence around its base in 1987. This move stirred controversy, but eventually proved effective in reducing the number of defacing incidents.[11]
On 1 November 2005 it was announced[12] that a comprehensive restoration, financed by the Argentine painting and restoration industry association (Ceprara), was finished. The monument was painted with 90-micrometre acrylic paint to a "Paris stone" hue, deemed more pleasant than the previously used white.[13]
On December 1, 2005, the obelisk was covered by a giant pink condom to commemorate the World AIDS Day.[14]
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the La Noche de los Lápices, the monument was converted into a giant pencil.[15]
Because of its height, el Obelisco is visible from many parts of the city.
Lines B, C, and D of the Buenos Aires Metro have stations near the monument, and are connected by a number of underground passages with commercial galleries.[16]
On this site in the St. Nicholas tower the National Flag was hoisted for the first time in the city the XXIII of August of MDCCCXII.
Translation:
Federal Capital Law enacted by the National Congress the XX of September of MDCCCLXXX initiative of the President Nicolás Avellaneda Decree of the President Julio A. Roca VI of December of MDCCCLXXX.
Translation:
Second Foundation by Juan de Garay XI of June of MDLXXX. — Poem by Baldomero Fernández Moreno
Translation:
Buenos Aires to the Republic
On the IV centenary of the foundation of the city by Don Pedro de Mendoza. II of February of MDXXXVI.
At the base of the south face, in a very small rectangle, this sonnet written by Baldomero Fernández Moreno during a tribute dinner in the Alvear Palace Hotel to Prebisch:
Tema anterior
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Pope Francis and French President Emmanuel Macron meet in Corsica on Dec. 15, 2024. (photo: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN/Vatican Pool / EWTN News)
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