Francis in the land of popular piety

On September 30, 2023, François Bustillo, bishop of Ajaccio, was created cardinal by Pope Francis in Rome. On Saint-Pierre Square, the event unleashed the clamors of the 870 Corsicans present that day. Surprised and admiring, the pope turns to Mgr Bustillo who says, in substance: “My Corsican people are alive and well. » Was it this decisive moment that convinced Francis to go to the Isle of Beauty – a first – to attend a conference on popular piety organized in Ajaccio on December 14 and 15? The anecdote, in any case, reported by the cardinal to Stéphane Paganelli, member of the Sartène choir, greatly delighted this master of Corsican polyphony. Who wholeheartedly hopes to see his ensemble invited to the ceremonies in mid-December. “We dream of singing in front of the Pope. We have tried many times, without success so far. » Same enthusiasm from François-Dominique de Peretti, prior of the Sartène brotherhood, founded in the 16th century. “We are going to cry to the vicar general to try to attend the event,” he laughs.

That the Pope goes much more willingly to places where popular piety is manifested with great vigor, such as Corsica, is no coincidence. Francis has always been sensitive to these rites and devotions on the fringes of dogma. The sovereign pontiff himself willingly touches and kisses the statues. His Argentine nationality is no stranger to this. “The pope comes from a continent where popular faith is well established,” analyzes Father Maximilien de La Martinière, who lived in Brazil for a long time. South America has not been marked by secularism or secularization. There we find manifestations of popular piety similar to those experienced in France in the 19th century. “.

Love for the poor

During his visit to Sicily in 2018, Francis defined popular piety as the “immune system of the Church”. He also wrote, in his autobiography, that it allowed “to continue to transmit the faith in a simple and authentic way”. In his eyes, it constitutes one of the most essential processes by which God manifests himself. He developed this theme in his fourth encyclical, Dilexit nos published on October 24, dedicated to one of the treasures of this simple and direct fervor: devotion to the Sacred Heart. “Francois makes popular piety a theological place, where God reveals himself, and it is a revolution that has gone somewhat unnoticed,” judges Father de La Martinière. “He invites theologians to take an interest in this phenomenon because they will discover something of God that escapes them. »

This particular sensitivity of Francis also comes from his love for the poor: “He is not very comfortable with the authorities and the elites. And when he meets them, he is sometimes rebuffed, like at the University of Louvain in Belgium, the priest continues. That he does not want to go to the inauguration of Notre-Dame de Paris is telling. » Francis prefers demonstrations of joy from the most deprived.

As we know, the sovereign pontiff’s devotion to the Virgin Mary is particularly strong. After each apostolic trip, he goes to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome to place a bouquet of flowers in front of an icon of the Virgin. This devotion is due to its Argentinian roots, but also to a particular episode dating from 1985. At the time, the pope attended a rosary pronounced by John Paul II. The piety of his Polish predecessor upsets him. “Since that moment, I have recited the fifteen mysteries of the rosary every day,” Francis said.

Marian devotion

This marital relationship grew the following year, during a study trip to Germany. The Pope adopts a popular piety born from an 18th century Bavarian painting, Marie undoing the knots. “Marie was close to the door of my heart and listened to my complaints with the patience that only a mother can have,” he testified in his autobiography. I felt like she was helping me undo my knots. » And he adds: “Marian devotion must be like this: limpid, beautiful, clean, simple. » From Germany, he brought back numerous figurines in the image of Mary in this painting. “I offered them to those around me, to friends, faithful and acquaintances. » Subsequently, Francis helped spread this popular piety in Argentina.

Let “no one mock the expressions of believing fervor of the people,” he asks in his encyclical. The sentence particularly touched Father Maximilien de La Martinière. “Popular piety is linked to hope,” he emphasizes. This shows its importance in this contemporary world where we often feel very alone. »