Pope Francis Warns Against Divisive Spirituality During Visit to Corsica

Pope Francis appealed to Catholic priests to beware of spiritual movements that could promote political divisions. On his first trip to Corsica, an island in the French Mediterranean, he attended a conference on religion. He emphasized that pastoral leaders of the church should be mindful of forms of religiosity that fuel polemics, narrow-mindedness, and exclusivity. The pontiff, on what is likely his last foreign trip in 2024, did not name specific groups. Corsica, known for its Catholic lay movements or "brotherhoods," often influences local politics despite its focus on spiritual matters. After the conference, Francis plans to hold an outdoor Mass and meet with France’s President Emmanuel Macron. These visits to less highlighted places reflect Francis’ effort to bring the "peripheries" of the world into focus. He has not yet visited Paris in his eleven-week papacy. Macron originally invited the pope for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, but Francis decided to decline this invitation and instead will meet the president at Ajaccio Airport for a brief exchange. Despite his approaching 88th birthday and a slight injury on his chin, the pope appeared in good spirits and warmly greeted crowds from the popemobile. Corsica, known for its mountainous landscape and as Napoleon's birthplace, is among the poorer regions of France, where about 20% of the population lives below the poverty line. Vatican statistics indicate that around 81% of the island's 356,000 inhabitants are Catholic. Since the beginning of his papacy in 2013, Pope Francis has visited numerous Mediterranean regions, including Malta, Lesbos, and Lampedusa.