AJACCIO, Corsica (AP) — Pope Francis' one-day visit to the French island of Corsica on Sunday, two days before his 88th birthday, will put a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other.
Associated PressPope Francis boards an airplane at Rome's Fiumicino, airport as he leaves for his one-day visit to Ajaccio in the French island of Corsica, Sunday, Dec.15, 2024. AJACCIO, Corsica — Pope Francis' one-day visit to the French island of Corsica on Sunday, two days before his 88th birthday, will put a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other.
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. The pope's remarks will include reflections on local religious traditions, especially strongly held in in Corsica, including the cult of the Virgin Mary, known locally as the Madonuccia, which protected the island from the plague in 1656 when it was still under Genoa.
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 Madonuccia. 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.
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