From the Vatican, the Holy Father returned to his recent trip to Ajaccio, welcoming the “popular fervor” which accompanied him.
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The visit of Pope Francis to Ajaccio on December 15 had an impact on many Corsicans. But three days after this unprecedented trip, the sovereign pontiff confirmed that he himself had been “particularly affected“.
Thus, during his general audience held on the morning of Wednesday, December 18, and broadcast by the KTO television channel, the Holy Father returned to this event. “The recent trip to Corsica where I was received so warmly was particularly touched by the popular fervor“, he indicated, in a territory”where faith is not a private fact“.
Even more – and he had already mentioned this several times in his speeches last Sunday – the Pope underlined “the number of children present“on this occasion:”great joy and great hope“. “God bless you“, he concluded.
As a reminder, the visit of the Holy Father to Ajaccio, organized on the occasion of the conference devoted to “popular religiosity“, brought together several tens of thousands of spectators, who came to see him and cheer him. Throughout his wanderings and during his various stops in the imperial city, Francis was carried by a large popular fervor, and notably blessed many children, as well as the oldest of Ajaccio and a pizzeria.
Invited to deliver the concluding speech of the conference on popular religiosity in the Mediterranean, the Pope considered that “popular piety, very deeply rooted here in Corsica, brings out the values of faith and at the same time expresses the face, history and culture of the people. It is in this intertwining, without confusion, that the constant dialogue takes place between the religious world and the secular world, between the Church and civil and political institutions. On this subject, you have been on the road for a long time and you are a virtuous example in Europe. Continue on this path!”
Francis also pleaded for a “concept of secularism which is nots static and fixed but evolving and dynamic”,stating that “believers can find themselves on a common path with secular, civil and political institutions, to work together for integral human growth and the safeguarding of this Island of beauty.”
