Pope Francis in Corsica warns of divisive religion By Reuters

Author: Joshua McElvee

AJACHIO, France (Reuters) – Pope Francis urged Catholic priests on Sunday to beware of divisive spiritual groups, speaking during a one-day visit to Corsica, the first by a pope to the French Mediterranean island.

At a conference on religion across the Mediterranean, the pontiff warned against varieties of spirituality that “seek self-aggrandizement by encouraging controversy, narrow-mindedness, division and exclusivist attitudes.”

“The pastors of the Church (are) called to be vigilant, to exercise prudence and to be constantly attentive to (these) popular forms of religiosity,” the pope said.

Francis, who was on his third and likely final trip abroad in 2024, did not name any specific religious group.

Corsica, like much of France, has a long history of lay Catholic associations, known as confraternities. They usually focus on spiritual matters, but sometimes play a role in local politics.

On Sunday, the Pope will spend around nine hours in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica. After attending the conference, he will celebrate outdoor mass with local Catholics and meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Visiting places that often do not attract international attention is part of Francis’ policy of highlighting people and problems on what he calls the “peripheries” of the world. During his 11-year papacy, he has still not visited most of the capitals of Western Europe, including Paris.

Macron 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 instead meet briefly at Ajaccio airport on Sunday before Francis returns to Rome.

HE TURNED 88 ON TUESDAY

As is now normal, Francis, who turns 88 on Tuesday, left his plane on arrival in Corsica by elevator and used a wheelchair as he greeted officials on the tarmac.

During the short open-air popemobile ride from the airport, the pope waved to crowds on the street and appeared in good shape, although he still has 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 of France, where about 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to government data.

The Vatican estimates that about 81 percent of Corsica’s population of 356,000 are Catholic. There are 83 priests and about 30 Catholic nuns on the island, it is said.

Francis, originally from Argentina and the first pope from the Americas, has traveled extensively in the Mediterranean since becoming pontiff in 2013, visiting Malta, the Greek island of Lesbos and the Italian island of Lampedusa.