The Dec. 15 lawsuit successful Corsica seems acold much suited to Francis’ priorities than a expansive cathedral reopening. (AP photo)
Pope Francis volition question to the Mediterranean land of Corsica connected Dec. 15, making yet different sojourn to France that avoids the superior and each the pomp and protocol that accompanies a due authorities visit. The one-day sojourn to the French land region, confirmed Saturday by the Vatican, is to adjacent retired a diocesan league connected fashionable piety successful Ajaccio, the capital.
While Francis volition conscionable with President Emmanuel Macron astatine the airdrome earlier returning to Rome, the travel is successful immoderate mode a snub of the French person who had invited Francis to question to Paris the erstwhile play to preside implicit the expansive reopening of Notre Dame.
Francis made wide successful September that helium wouldn’t enactment successful the ceremony, telling reporters flat-out “I won’t spell to Paris,” aft a French work reported that helium would be the Dec. 8 reopening of the cathedral aft the devastating 2019 fire.
Francis subsequently announced a engaged Vatican docket for that weekend, presiding implicit a consistory to make caller cardinals Dec. 7 and participating successful his yearly commemoration of the Dec. 8 feast time dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The Dec. 15 lawsuit successful Corsica seems acold much suited to Francis’ priorities than a expansive cathedral reopening, emphasizing the “church of the peripheries.” He volition adjacent retired a Corsican religion league connected “popular piety successful the Mediterranean.”
It’s a akin taxable that brought Francis to the confederate French larboard of Marseille successful 2023, erstwhile helium made an overnight sojourn to enactment successful an yearly acme of Mediterranean bishops. His erstwhile travel to France was astatine the commencement of his pontificate, erstwhile helium made a one-day sojourn to Strasbourg connected Nov. 25, 2014, to code the European Parliament and Council of Europe.
Corsica is location to much than 340,000 radical and has been portion of France since 1768. But the land has besides seen pro-independence unit and has an influential nationalist movement, and past twelvemonth Macron projected granting it constricted autonomy.
Francis has stressed that helium wants to prioritize smaller Catholic communities connected the peripheries alternatively than the large centers of Christianity. As a result, his overseas trips person tended to debar large European capitals successful favour of far-flung churches successful poorer parts of the world.