
Pope Francis Praises Faith of Catholics in French Corsica
The Dec. 15 papal Mass in a mix of French and Corsican took place as the sun set over Ajaccio, ending by candlelight with purple skies behind the hills bordering the port city.
The Dec. 15 papal Mass in a mix of French and Corsican took place as the sun set over Ajaccio, ending by candlelight with purple skies behind the hills bordering the port city.
Corsica is one of the few French territories to have a repertoire of songs that are steeped in history and still in use today, songs that blend the sacred and the secular and which will be given pride of place during the papal visit.
COMMENTARY: The papal trip to Asia shows how such pilgrimages are an encounter of deep faith in far-flung places.
‘I always talk about the dignity of women,’ he said on his flight back to Rome. ‘An abortion is a homicide,’ he said, adding, ‘The doctors who carry this out are hitmen.’ He also spoke of the ‘responsibility to help the abused and to take care of them … and to punish the abusers.’
The Pope spent a moment in silent prayer before the tomb of King Baudouin before lauding his witness to the protection of life.
‘The good news that Jesus brought to the world must once again be proclaimed to all and allowed to shine forth in all its beauty,’ he said. The Pope also spoke of the suffering of abuse survivors, following his Friday meeting with 17 victims of clerical abuse.
On his first full day in Belgium on Sept. 27, Pope Francis celebrated a morning Mass in private before making his way to the castle.
The Pope is also expected to meet with victims of sexual abuse.
In his homily, the Pope drew on the day’s Gospel reading about Jesus healing a deaf man, to emphasize the importance of overcoming distance from God and others, prompting the faithful to reflect on their own relationships.
The Pope was welcomed to the capital city of Port Moresby on Sept. 7.
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