The topic was invited from the plenary assembly of the bishops of France, which is held from November 5 to 10 in Lourdes (Hautes Pyrénées), to the halls of the Elysée. It was impossible to avoid it: Pope Francis should come to Corsica, more precisely to Ajaccio, around December 14 and 15. The Holy Father will participate in a conference titled “Popular religiosity in the Mediterranean.” His third trip to France, after Strasbourg, in 2014, and Marseille, in 2023, is a historic first for the island, which has never received a visit from a Pope. Enough to create general enthusiasm? Not precisely.
Yes, because a slight doubt still hangs over this coming. “We are waiting for an official announcement and especially the program, knowing from experience that, until the official announcement, everything is possible and nothing can be taken for granted”comments a source close to the Vatican. The state of health of the Argentine Pope, 87 years old, continues to be an element to take into account. If the city of Ajaccio, the diocese and the prefecture do not officially confirm the arrival, everyone is already preparing, with a weekly steering committee. “If I were you, I would take my plane tickets”laughs a relative of Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, media bishop of Ajaccio, where he has exercised his ministry since 2021.
Monsignor Bustillo is the great architect of this arrival of the Pope to the island. “He established a special relationship with the sovereign pontiff”They estimate relatives who accompanied the man of the Church to Rome, on September 30, 2023, during his promotion to the rank of cardinal. Eight hundred islanders then embarked on the journey with their “Vescu” (“bishop”) in three chartered planes, transporting in particular the ban and the deputies of the local elected officials and the brotherhoods of the island. “Pope Francis was impressed that such a large delegation accompanied him and said to him: “Did you come with your people?” »two participants remember.
From that day on, the idea of organizing a papal trip to the island was born, they think they know… In the middle of summer, members of the Vatican security service went to the imperial city, establishing the first links. According to several sources, teams from the Vatican and the Elysée will arrive on the island the week of November 11 to make security adjustments before Cardinal Bustillo’s official announcement on November 16.
You have 66.06% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
