Pope Francis arrived on the French island of Corsica for a one-day visit on Sunday, during which he is scheduled to meet with President Emmanuel Macron and hold mass with several thousand in attendance.
He is the first pope to visit the majority-Catholic Mediterranean island, which is situated closer to the Italian mainland than to France.
The trip, Francis’ third to France during his papacy, comes after he declined an invitation from the French government to attend the high-profile reopening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris following its restoration after a devastating 2019 fire.
Francis arrived around 9:00 am (0800 GMT) and will leave just after 6:00 pm, the Vatican said.
He is expected to touch on global conflicts in his remarks on Sunday.
“The Mediterranean is the backdrop of this trip, surrounded by situations of crisis and conflict,” Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said.
Corsica’s prefect, Jerome Filippini, said the visit would cost the French state “several million euros” for its 9-hour duration, with tight security measures surrounding the trip.
Final trip this year
During his visit, the pope, known in Corsican as Papa Francescu, will make two speeches and celebrate mass at an open-air theater, in addition to expected talks with Macron.
He is also expected to greet crowds numbering in the tens of thousands from his Popemobile in the streets of the Corsican capital, Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon.
Most of the island’s 350,000 inhabitants are Catholics.
The Corsica visit will be Francis’s final trip abroad this year, with many duties awaiting him on his return to Rome as the Christmas season moves to its climax.
Among other things, he is to open the 2025 Holy Year on Chrismas Eve, December 24 — a year that in Catholic tradition is one of forgiveness of sins and the punishments they incur.
Although Corsica has been part of France since 1768, it has experienced pro-independence violence and has a strong nationalist movement. Last year, Macron proposed giving the island limited autonomy.
tj/zc (AFP, AP, dpa)
