The sovereign pontiff plans to stay a short day on the island of beauty. Nearly 100,000 people are expected for Francis’ 47th apostolic journey. He comes to Corsica, following the invitation of the young Cardinal Bustillo, the bishop of Ajaccio, to attend the closing day of a conference on “popular religiosity in the Mediterranean“. The pope will arrive in Ajaccio at 9 a.m. and leave late in the afternoon at 6 p.m. A mass will be celebrated by the holy father during the day. The inhabitants of the island are preparing to welcome around 100,000 people !
Pope Francis’ program in Ajaccio
- 10:15 a.m.: conclusion of the conference on “popular religiosity in the Mediterranean”
Pope Francis chose to travel to Corsica to conclude a conference whose subject is particularly close to his heart: popular religiosity. Very present in Corsica, religiosity or popular piety refers to gestures of devotion through which the faithful express their faith, for example in processions or within the framework of brotherhoods. As Cardinal Bustillo recalled in an interview with RCF, if the Pope comes to Corsica as part of this conference, it is to encourage Corsican Christians.to live, give meaning and momentum to this rich human and spiritual heritage in order to transmit it“. The Pope will deliver his closing speech in the Ajaccio Congress and Exhibition Center.
- 11:20 a.m.: the Angelus prayer followed by the Pope’s second speech
As every day, the Pope will pronounce the Angelus prayer surrounded by his brother bishops, priests, deacons as well as consecrated persons and seminarians. The Angelus prayer takes place three times a day, morning, noon and evening. This prayer refers to the story of the Annunciation found in the Bible. This is the moment for Catholics where the angel announces to Mary that she will give birth to the Lord. We can still hear the Angelus ringing in certain villages. After this prayer, the pope will deliver his second speech of the day.
- 3:30 p.m.: Holy Mass open to all
Central moment of the day for the faithful who welcome the Pope to their island, the pope’s mass will take place at 3:30 p.m. on the Place d’Austerlitz in Ajaccio, in the U Casone green theater. Between 80,000 and 120,000 people could attend the mass. Around thirty French bishops are also expected to attend the event.
- 5:30 p.m.: meeting with Emmanuel Macron
Shortly before his departure the Pope must meet the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macronin order to close this visit which is also considered a state visit. The two heads of state will meet at Ajaccio airport. Many people do not understand the Pope’s trip to Corsica when he will not attend the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral which will take place the weekend before, December 7 and 8. It is likely that the sovereign pontiff did not want to steal the spotlight from the “old lady“.
The pope is expected to say a word of thanks and goodbye before taking off for Rome at 6:15 p.m.
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