This is a first in history: Pope Francis is going to Corsica on Sunday, December 15, after Strasbourg, ten years ago, and Marseille, last year. He will attend a mass but above all a conference on popular piety, he who did not want to go to the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris. Behind the religious aspect, his coming also has a political significance.
It is first of all the story of a meeting between Pope Francis and the Corsicans. A little over a year ago, when the island's bishop, François Bustillo, arrived at the Vatican to be elevated to the rank of cardinal, accompanied by three Air Corsica planes, 800 political guests, and residents who started singing Corsican songs in Place Saint-Pierre. “Your people are making noise”, the pope then says to the cardinal who replies: “My people are alive, the Corsican people.”
The connection takes place before the work of two men, behind the scenes: Cardinal Mamberti, very high in the hierarchy at the Vatican who is Corsican and therefore preached for his parish, and Cardinal Bustillo who played a central role. He is close to the Pope and managed to connect the Corsicans after gaining their trust.
With a rhythm of two to three masses per day, he goes to all the villages. “He’s in politics”confides the relative of a leading elected official. To the point of talking about “Bustillomania.” The cardinal even managed to save this trip at the last minute, threatened by renewed anger on the island, with a video broadcast on social networks which restored calm.
This trip is also seen as a setback for Emmanuel Macron because the head of state failed to bring the Pope to his big event: the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris. Francis had been offended by the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games with the representation of the Last Supper. He would also have experienced the invitation to Notre-Dame as a summons.
“It is rooted in small territories, prefers the small people to large commemorations”deciphers a deputy. Perhaps a sign of mutual annoyance: the president skips almost the entire visit. He will only be in Corsica before the Pope leaves for a short interview.
The Corsicans are waiting for a revision of the Constitution, which has still not happened, to change their status and move towards more independence. An elected official invites us to listen, he hopes to hear the pope say two or three words in Corsican and mention in his speech the “Corsican people”a term loaded with meaning on the island, a sign for the Corsicans of recognition of their singularity.
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