Sawt Falasteen - Pope to champion popular Catholic traditions in Corsica

Francis will attend a conference on the importance of popular religious cultures in rousing flagging faith and drawing new believers.

The Argentine pontiff, 87, will give two speeches in Corsica's capital Ajaccio and preside over a mass at the Casone open-air theatre, before meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He will also be driven in his popemobile through Ajaccio, where thousands of faithful are expected to throng the streets, with 2,000 extra security personnel on hand to manage the crowds.

Francis's one-day trip to Corsica will be the first papal visit to the island, where 90 percent of its 350,000 population is Catholic, according to the local Church, and where religious traditions remain deeply rooted.

The visit to the island, famed for its rugged coastlines and natural beauty, was championed by the popular and media-friendly bishop of Ajaccio, Francois-Xavier Bustillo, who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in September 2023.

"Corsica has been preparing to welcome him for a long time", Bustillo told AFP on Wednesday.

"The diocese is poor, the Corsican region is not rich", but thanks to the generosity of businesses and the faithful "we will pull off a welcome worthy of the pope", he said.

- 'Immune system' -

The facade of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption of Ajaccio has been repainted for the occasion, and an access ramp is being built to allow Francis, who uses a wheelchair, to enter through the main door.

New pews have just been delivered and yellow and white papal flags have been placed behind the altar.

Near the cathedral, a colourful fresco by Ajaccio artists depicts Francis against a backdrop of stained glass windows and a map of Corsica.

The pope is making the visit for a Catholic conference on "popular religiosity in the Mediterranean". It will be attended by bishops from the nearby Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as well as from Spain and France.

Francis has repeatedly emphasized the value of "popular piety" -- practising devotion through local, time-honoured traditions such as colourful processions, pilgrimages, songs, dance and feast days.

"Popular piety that knows how to pray creatively, that knows how to sing creatively... is the 'immune system' of the Church", and prevents faith from becoming a dry, intellectual exercise, the pope said in 2018.

- Favouring smaller communities -

Francis, who will celebrate his 88th birthday on December 17, has been to France twice since becoming head of the worldwide Catholic Church in 2013, visiting Strasbourg and Marseille.

But he has yet to make an official state visit to France, one of Europe's main majority-Catholic countries, just as he has yet to make state visits to fellow populous European nations such as Spain, the United Kingdom or Germany.

The Argentine pontiff prefers visiting smaller or less established Catholic communities, from Malta to Mongolia.

In the Mediterranean, he has favoured islands -- Sicily and Greece's Lesbos -- for trips focusing on the priorities of his pontificate, such as the treatment of migrants, the effects of global warming, or dialogue between religions.

Corsica will be the 47th overseas visit for Francis and his third this year, after a long tour of the Asia-Pacific region in early September and a trip to Belgium and Luxembourg the same month.

L.Hussein--SF-PST