before the pope's visit to Corsica, the renovated Ajaccio cathedral

The Pope's visit to Corsica is scheduled for December 15 and should be made official in the coming hours. Behind the scenes, the city of Ajaccio is busy preparing for this historic event and is getting a makeover to welcome the sovereign pontiff. Thus, the renovation work on the cathedral initially planned for 2025 has begun.

The pope's visit is not yet official, but the first signs of his arrival are beginning to emerge in downtown Ajaccio.

At the foot of the cathedral, masons and painters are at work, and inside the chairs will be replaced with new benches. “They are being manufactured by a company in Bastia, says Marie-Paule Mancini-Neri, volunteer at the Ajaccio Cathedral. We ourselves have undertaken a certain number of works to facilitate traffic and to make it as beautiful as possible for an exceptional event.”

On December 15, the sovereign pontiff is expected to stop at the cathedral to meet members of the island clergy. More broadly, the stages of this papal visit are becoming clearer: mass at Casone, blessing at Place Miot or, earlier in the morning, a visit to the Palais de Congrès to close the conference on popular piety and a stop in front of the Madonuccia statue.

Some traders, sometimes installed a few meters from these points, are impatiently awaiting confirmation of this arrival and its details. “That would be great. People will be there and they will have to eat and drink. We hope to have news quickly. For the moment, we are approaching the Christmas market, which is becoming clearer, but not too much about the Pope”, says Pierre-Jean, manager of a brewery.

The officialization of Pope Francis' visit to the island could take place tomorrow, Thursday.

Tags Ajaccio France Bastia