why is the absence of Pope Francis causing debate?

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The Island of Beauty, rather than the beauty of Notre Dame. More than a year after a trip to Marseille, Pope Francis has again chosen the south of France. The sovereign pontiff will travel in CorseSunday December 15, 2024, as officially announced by the Vatican, Saturday November 23. On the other hand, it will be absent at the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, organized on December 7 and 8. A curious choice given the symbolic place of the Parisian building in the Church, but not illogical.

“The star is the cathedral”

Faced with criticism from certain faithful, the episcopate wanted to defuse a potential bomb. The president of the bishops of France Mgr Éric de Moulins-Beaufort assured that he “ there was never any question of the Pope coming to the reopening of Notre-Dame », according to comments reported on November 10 by Le Figaro. “The star is the cathedral and not the pope’s visit to France,” he clarified.

Two months earlier, Pope Francis had already brushed aside rumors of a possible move. “ I won't go to Paris, I won't go to Paris“, he indicated on a plane in front of several journalists.

Thus, he will miss an official ceremony planned for Saturday December 7, in the presence of the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and other heads of state. The next day, the cathedral will reopen publicwith a mass in great pomp.

The Argentine sovereign preferred to respond positively to the invitation launched by the Archbishop of Ajaccio,François-Xavier Bustillo. Asked by Le Figarothe 55-year-old cardinal, appointed by Francis, also wanted to calm things down by claiming that the pope “does not despise Notre-Dame to favor Corsica”. According to him, his coming to Corsica responds to a “pastoral” logic and corresponds to “a local reality” to “encourage” the diocese.

The Pope will make a first trip to a region still marked by the imprint of the Church.Nine out of ten Corsicans are Catholic. And the traditions remain strong. In addition, François appreciates “peripheral” places, where precariousness is more pronounced than average. With 18% of households below the poverty line, Corsica is the French region where this rate is the highest.

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