Pope Francis chose the island of Corsica as the destination for his 47th international trip. He went there to close a congress on popular religiosity.
The streets of this small town were full of locals eager to greet the pope. Some, like this 108-year-old woman, managed to do so and even received the papal blessing.
At the congress the pope reflected on the power of popular piety to evangelize in a secularized world where Catholics tend, in some settings, to hide their faith.
POPE FRANCIS
Faith cannot remain a private affair. We have to be careful about this, I would say privatization of faith is a heretical development.
At the same time, he asked the bishops to avoid any kind of ideological manipulation of popular piety.
POPE FRANCIS
We must be careful so that popular piety is not used or exploited by groups that seek self-aggrandizement by fuelling polemics, narrow-mindedness, divisions and exclusivist attitudes.
He said that the current scenario, where there are fewer believers, offers learning opportunities for Catholics, because it forces them to evangelize without imposing their faith.
During the Mass, the Pope could be seen wearing the pink vestments typical of the third Sunday of Advent; where the liturgical color purple is mixed with the white of joy for the proximity of the birth of Christ.
Corsica welcomed the pope with open arms. Thousands of people took to the streets to greet the pope. Firemen came out to meet him so that he could bless their patron saint. And others even managed to stop the popemobile to give Pope Francis heart-shaped pizzas.
Before leaving, the pope had a long-awaited political meeting: with French President Emmanuel Macron.
SR
