It's now official. After diplomatic hesitations and two postponements, the Bulletin of the Holy Seecommunications organ of Vaticanformalized the arrival of pape in Corsehas AjaccioDecember 15. It was this Saturday, November 23 around noon that the announcement was made with a simple title: “Apostolic trip of his holiness the Pope to Ajaccio for the conclusion of the congress ''Popular religiosity in the Mediterranean''”.
Pope Francis will meet Emmanuel Macron
On the program side, the Vatican confirms the main stages of its Ajaccian journey which also reveals a meeting with the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron at Ajaccio airport, late in the afternoon, before returning to Rome. The revealed program is as follows:
7:45 a.m.: departure of the Pope from the airport Rome.
9 a.m.: arrival at Ajaccio Napoleon-Bonaparte airport and “official welcome”.
10:15 a.m.: conclusion of the conference “Popular religiosity in the Mediterranean” at the convention center.
11:20 a.m.: Angelus prayer with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons and seminarians in the Santa Maria Assunta Cathedral in Ajaccio.
3:30 p.m.: Holy Mass at Casone, Place d’Austerlitz
5:30 p.m.: meeting with the President of the Republic at Ajaccio airport.
6 p.m.: departure ceremony.
Two planned speeches and a homily
Pope Francis will make two speeches, at the convention center and at the cathedral, as well as a homily during the mass at the Casone.
A summary of the program which, according to our information, does not call into question the entirety of the ten stages that Corse-Matin had already unveiled this Thursday, including stops at the San Ghjuvà baptistery, at the Madunnuccia statue on Place Foch, or his visit to Place Miot before mass at Casone.
As soon as it was made official, the diocese of Corsica rang church bells across the four corners of the island.
