Pope Francis will make an inspired visit to the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on December 15, where he will conclude an international conference on popular religious traditions organized by the Diocese of Ayacucho.
Vatican News
VATICAN CITY, Saturday, November 23, 2024: Pope Francis will visit the French island of Corsica on December 15, his 47th apostolic visit abroad and the first of a papal visit to the French Mediterranean island, the Office announced on Saturday Vatican Press. . Local citizens and Church officials have invited the Pope to conclude an international symposium on popular religiosity in the Mediterranean, organized by the local diocese in the island’s capital, Ayacucho.
Crossroads of cultures
Corsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea after Cyprus and is best known as the homeland of one of the most prominent figures in history, Napoleon Bonaparte.
A mountainous island off the western coast of Italy and the southern coast of France, Corsica has for centuries been at the crossroads of various Mediterranean cultures and powers, including the Papacy, the Italian Republics of Pisa and Genoa, and ultimately, France, which responded to the fierce opposition of the Corsican independentists, after the resistance, the island was captured in 1769.
The island, which has long been sparsely populated and whose main characteristic is a rural and pastoral economy, is known for its natural beauty that has attracted tourism.
The contribution of the Catholic faith to the configuration of Corsican identity
The Diocese of Ayacucho covers the entire region of Corsica and is currently suffragan of the Archdiocese of Marseille in France. The diocese is led by Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, OFM, and in 2022 there were 277,000 Catholics in Corsica, representing 81.5% of a population of 340,000.
Catholicism has held an important place in Corsican society and has helped shape its distinctive cultural identity. Proof of this are its numerous churches spread throughout its numerous inland towns and its popular devotion, as well as its long tradition of brotherhood.
The Corsican people are known to have a deep reverence for the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Corsican national anthem, “Dieu Vi Salvi Regina” (Hail, O Queen), is dedicated to her.
Despite urbanization and socioeconomic changes in recent decades, religious festivals, processions and pilgrimages continue to play an important role in Corsican social life.
Seminar on Popular Religiosity in the Mediterranean
These religious traditions will be the focus of a two-day symposium to be held in Ayacucho from December 14 to 15.
The venue will bring together representatives of local Catholic communities from France, Italy and Spain to share the richness of the faith of Corsican popular religiosity with similar traditions in other Mediterranean regions, including Sicily and Sardinia, and in a context of increasing secularism. We can discuss its potential for evangelization.
Motto and logo of the apostolic journey
The motto of the apostolic visit is “Jesus went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), which reminds us that the Pope makes his apostolic visit to Corsica as a shepherd, walking among his people.
At the top left of the apostolic visitation logo is a stylized map of Corsica with blue vertical lines on a teal background representing the sea.
The highest line ends in the shape of a cross, which symbolizes faith in Christ and is delimited by a yellow line descending from above, indicating the Holy Spirit. At the bottom, in the same blue, there is a portrait of Queen Mary of Corsica. She is depicted from the waist up with her face and hands raised and, given the background, it appears as if she were submerged in the sea.
The title of the visit, written in yellow on the right, is “Papa Francesco in Corsica” (Pope Francis in Corsica) in the Corsican language, while the motto, also written in yellow, is in French.
The apostolic visit to Corsica will be Pope Francis’ third visit to the French region, having previously visited Strasbourg in 2014 to meet with the European Parliament and the Council of Europe and Marseille in 2023 for meetings in the Mediterranean.
