“The Holy Father was happy, as he said, he felt at home,” confides Cardinal Bustillo

Less than 24 hours after the departure of Pope Francis from Ajaccio, Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo gave an interview to France 3 Corse ViaStella. He looks back on the historic day of Sunday December 15.

A day that will remain in the memories of the Corsicans for a long time. Sunday December 15, Pope Francis made an apostolic trip to Ajaccio.

The day after this historic trip, Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo gave an interview to France 3 Corse ViaStella.

We have just seen again all the images of fervor, of emotion, which reached the city of Ajaccio yesterday. Do you also still feel this joy a few hours after the Pope's departure?

I had the privilege of being with the Pope in the Popemobile. So, there, we see something unique on people's faces, their look. There were elderly people, young parents with their children, there were young people, I saw a lot of emotion, a lot of joy. And when we walked through the crowds, they were really cheering crowds. There was joy, hope and it is very motivating for Corsica and for me as bishop.

Did you see this joy, did you feel it?

I saw it and I felt it. I manage my emotions quite well, there were moments when I was very touched, very moved and it wasn't just a little emotional euphoria. It was truly feeling that a people were in joy.

You accompanied the Pope all day, what did the Pope tell you about Corsica and his visit?

The Pope was happy. He said it at the end of the mass, I believe it is not trivial to say: “I felt at home.” So he was comfortable, there was a family atmosphere. There was a simplicity and at the same time an intensity, a density, in the way of being with others.

The Pope has a great relational intelligence, this contact with people, with children, with babies, with the elderly, with the political environment and the economic environment, it is a way of saying the Pope is a pastor in service of all. Not from an elite, not from certain people, there is no sectarianism in the Church, we are open to all and the Pope has shown this well.

Did he feel at home, because as he said, the Corsicans can be an example in the way they live their faith, religion, secularism too?

We heard in your reports that in Corsica, there is something peaceful. The danger of secularism, secularism is important for society, but the danger is that it is ideologized. It must be an ideal.

Here, in Corsica, secularism is an ideal, we live it with a lot of serenity, a lot of intelligence and in a peaceful manner and this can also be exported outside.

The pope, despite everything, draws red lines, there was talk of superstition, of folklore of communitarianism, of the risk of exclusion for religious reasons. Do you follow him on these points? Especially since we see this type of phenomenon appearing in Corsica on the outskirts of religious ceremonies.

When we state a vital principle or important ideal, we must also say the type of dangers that go with it. The Pope, it is his duty too, it is not to condemn, but to say be careful there are points of vigilance.

The Christian ideal is magnificent, but there can be deviations from ideologies. It is important that the Pope is always consistent and agrees to present a free and authentic popular religiosity.

The Pope is also a head of state, so there is a political dimension to this visit. Do we know the content and tone of the conversation between the Pope and the President of the Republic? This is the first time they have seen each other since the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame de Paris.

There were two moments, I didn't witness both of those moments. The first, a meeting between the Holy See and the French State and the second, more personal, where the Pope and the President of the Republic spoke with each other in private.

I don't know exactly what they said, but I think it's beautiful to also respect this moment of intimacy, of mystery. They spoke with confidence and freedom. Both of them are very free, so they had to say things to each other very clearly and very freely.

Despite everything, it was the Vatican which chose the location of this meeting, the airport. A neutral zone, difficult not to see it despite everything, perhaps a symbol of distance between the two men.

Not necessarily. It is rather a question of opportunity given this observation. There was mass, after mass, the pope did not want to stay and could not stay too long so everything was studied and the timing was precise.

So the most suitable place that the President of the Republic and the Pope wanted to exchange views was the airport.

We were expecting the Pope on certain subjects such as migrants and the fight against the mafia. Why weren't these topics discussed?

The pope must speak to a specific people. And he moved for a specific subject. Many people were waiting for him in certain areas, in relation to the mafia, it was clear when he spoke in Sicily, his speech has not changed.

Regarding political responsibility, he was clear in all his speeches. His magisterium is public and he has said so for a long time. There has been no change. Since he came for a specific subject, we must take into account everything he has said about euthanasia, abortion, the mafia for a long time.

He is consistent with his magisterium. But he couldn't say everything during this meeting. It opened a new dimension, peaceful secularism. I find it also interesting to add an important element to his teaching.

The full interview: