After weeks of suspense and imbroglio, the Vatican finally confirmed the visit of Pope Francis to Ajaccio on December 15. This is the sovereign pontiff’s third trip to French territory – after Strasbourg in 2014 and Marseille in 2023 – and a great first for Corsica, which has never received a visit from a pope.
On paper, he is going to Ajaccio to attend a conference on “popular religiosity in the Mediterranean”. In fact, the choice of Pope Francis is, as always, full of meaning, as he will not attend the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris on the weekend of December 7 and 8. However, he had been invited by Emmanuel Macron himself to come and attend this historic event, five years and a colossal renovation after the disaster. An announcement initially interpreted as a snub by the French state.
But the invitation was more symbolic, has since played down the president of the Conference of Bishops of France, Monsignor Eric Moulin de Beaufort, who assured on November 10, during the closing of the plenary assembly in Lourdes, that he would not It had “never really been a question” of the pope being present, the spotlight of the ceremony risking being diverted from Notre-Dame by his arrival. The head of the Church will still be welcomed by the head of state, who will travel to the island of beauty to meet him on December 15 at the end of the afternoon.
Pope Francis’ political choices
Since the beginning of his reign, Pope Jorge Mario Bergoglio has largely favored events in areas that he himself calls the “peripheries” of the Church (notably in the Mediterranean basin, in Africa or in Asia) and popular ceremonies rather than gatherings of Catholic elites. A habit “of going rather where one’s predecessors did not come so much”, explains to AFP the Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich, that is to say “in small countries, where there are few Christians” or in those “where there are difficult situations of war or tensions”. During his visit to Marseille in September 2023, François launched a vibrant appeal in favor of migrants.
Several weeks after the information of his arrival leaked to the press in October, this official confirmation finally puts an end to a suspense that was no longer really one. A Vatican delegation led by the non-apostolic Celestino Migliori came on November 15 to assess the security of the premises. And a program was concocted then sent the following weekend to the Vatican by “members of state services, the diocese of Ajaccio, the municipality” for validation, according to the newspaper The World. At the origin of this unprecedented visit, the Corsican Cardinal Monseigneur François Bustillo, a strong man of the diocese at 56 years old, known to have developed a privileged link with the head of the Vatican since his appointment in September 2023.
The immense logistical challenge of the city of Ajaccio
After his arrival by plane, the pope’s morning will begin with a concluding speech to the international conference on “popular piety in the Mediterranean basin.” The culminating moment of the visit, he will then celebrate an open-air mass from the tree-lined Casone esplanade. At least 100,000 faithful from the four corners of this particularly religious island are expected this December 15 in the city, who will fill the esplanade which can accommodate up to 8,000 faithful and the two fan zones equipped with giant screens which will be installed in the city. It is planned that the pope will visit them to be in contact with the faithful during the day, and will make a stop at the Palais des Congrès, on the town hall square and potentially in the Ajaccio cathedral.
All of this constitutes a real logistical challenge for the municipal team of Ajaccio and all its partners, who have already welcomed the passage of the Olympic lazy this summer. A free but mandatory registration system will be put in place for security reasons, and the city will be closed to non-residents. National and international journalists are expected by the dozens and tourists by the thousands, as well as elected officials such as the mayors of Marseille, Benoît Payan (various left), and Nice, Christian Estrosi, and Italian elected officials. Even the air flow at Ajaccio-Napoléon-Bonaparte airport will have to be adapted to such unusual traffic.
A visit whose bill could be around 2 million euros, entirely the responsibility of the diocese of Ajaccio. Some local companies, such as Leclerc stores (250,000 euros) or the shipping company Corsica Linea (100,000) are expected to make considerable donations, according to government sources. World. The Corsican Cardinal Monsignor François Bustillo also launched an appeal for donations and volunteers.