On the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica, Pope Francis on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society. Francis appeared relaxed and energized during the one-day visit, the AP reports, two days before his 88th birthday, displaying a faded bruise from a fall a week ago. He frequently deviated from his prepared homily during Mass at the outdoor La Place d'Austerlitz, remarking at one point that he had never seen so many children as in Corsica—except, he added, in East Timor on his recent Asian tour. "Make children," he implored. "They will be your joy and your consolation in the future."
Earlier, at the close of a Mediterranean conference on popular piety, Papa Francescu, as he is called in Corsican, described a concept of secularity "that is not static and fixed, but evolving and dynamic," that can adapt to "unforeseen situations" and promote cooperation "between civil and ecclesial authorities." The pope said that expressions of popular piety, including processions and communal prayer of the Holy Rosary "can nurture constructive citizenship" on the part of Christians. At the same time, he warned against such manifestations being seen only in terms of folklore, or even superstition.
The visit to Corsica's capital Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon, is one of the briefest of his papacy beyond Italy—about nine hours on the ground, including a 40-minute talk with French President Emmanuel Macron. Often specific to the places where they are practiced, popular piety in Corsica includes the cult of the Virgin Mary, known locally as the "Madunnuccia," revered as protecting the island from the plague in 1656. Corsica stands out from the rest of secularized France as a particularly devout region, with 92 confraternities, lay associations dedicated to works of charity or piety, with over 4,000 members. "It means that there is a beautiful, mature, adult and responsible collaboration between civil authorities, mayors, deputies, senators, officials and religious authorities,'" Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo told the AP ahead of the visit, adding "there is no ideological hostility."
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