Over a year after he visited Marseille, Pope Francis returns to the Mediterranean shores. Whereas his predecessor , on September 12, 2008, inaugurated the Collège des Bernardins in Paris with a major address on the sources of European culture, Francis is coming to close a congress devoted to popular religion. The various aspects of this trip seem consistent with his way of doing things.

Why choose Corsica over Paris [and the reopening of Notre-Dame]? Let’s not be too quick to see this as a feud with France, despite a few unfortunate past statements (“I’m going to Marseille and not to France”). Francis has a special relationship with our country. Secularism and Enlightenment culture don’t seem to appeal to him. French thought must seem too rational to him. On the other hand, he appreciates spiritual authors, whom he readily quotes, such as Francis de Sales, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Charles de Foucauld. His Letter on Literature quoted Proust and Cocteau. On several occasions, he has also mentioned an author whose work interests him, Michel de Certeau.

Clearly, Francis likes edges. Instead of the center (Notre-Dame de Paris), he prefers the peripheries. Instead of official ceremonies and gatherings of state leaders, he prefers more popular events (the reopening of Notre-Dame was partly behind barriers). This trip also reveals the importance of Francis’ personal relationships, and people close to his heart. He likes the profile of Franciscan Cardinal François Bustillo [Bishop of Ajaccio]as well as that of his neighbor from Marseille, Jean-Marc Aveline. The Pope doesn’t bother with the usual hierarchies. The archbishops of the capitals, not always cardinals as was tradition, can await a hypothetical visit. By historical standards, the list of cardinals seats extends to surprising places (Dili in East Timor, Ekwulobia in Nigeria, Les Cayes in Haiti).

Read more (2023) Why Pope Francis is coming ‘to Marseille, not to France’