By Joshua McElwee
Ajaccio, France (Reuters) – Pope Francis urged Catholic priests on Sunday to beware of spiritual groups that stir up political divisions, during a one-day visit to Corsica, the first visit by a pope to the French Mediterranean island.
At a conference on religion across the Mediterranean, the Pope warned against various spiritualities that “seek self-aggrandizement by fueling controversy, narrow-mindedness, divisions and exclusivist positions.”
“Pastors of the Church are called to be vigilant, to exercise discernment and to be constantly attentive to these popular forms of religiosity,” the Pope said.
Francis, who is making his third and perhaps final foreign trip in 2024, did not mention any specific religious group.
Corsica, like most of France, has a long history of secular Catholic associations, known as confraternities. They usually focus on spiritual matters, but sometimes play a role in local politics.
The Pope is scheduled to spend about nine hours in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, on Sunday. After attending the conference, he will celebrate an outdoor Mass with local Catholics and will also meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Visiting places that do not often attract international attention is part of Francis's policy of highlighting people and problems in what he calls the “peripheries” of the world. Over the 11 years of his papacy, he has not yet visited most of the capitals of Western Europe, including Paris.
Macron had invited Francis to attend the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on December 7, five years after a devastating fire nearly destroyed the medieval building. The Pope decided not to go, and the two will meet briefly at Ajaccio airport on Sunday before Francis returns to Rome.
It turns 88 on Tuesday
As is now customary, Francis, who turns 88 on Tuesday, left his plane upon his arrival in Corsica via an elevator and used a wheelchair while receiving officials on the tarmac.
During a short ride in the pope's open-air car from the airport, the pope waved to crowds in the street and appeared in good condition, although he still had a small bruise on his chin, the result of what the Vatican described as a minor fall. In his bedroom last week.
Known for its steep, mountainous terrain and as the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, Corsica is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean. It is one of the poorest regions in France, with about 20% of the population living below the poverty line, according to government figures.
The Vatican estimates that about 81% of Corsica's population of 356,000 are Catholics. She says there are 83 priests on the island and about 30 Catholic nuns.
Francis, originally from Argentina and the first pope from the Americas, has traveled extensively around the Mediterranean since becoming pope in 2013, visiting Malta, the Greek island of Lesbos and the Italian island of Lampedusa.
