the Isle of Beauty eagerly awaits a historic visit

Benoît Bussaud, 31, is taken in. On this solemnity of the feast of Christ the King, this November 24, he sits in the front rows of the Sainte-Marie church in Sartène (South Corsica), where he is preparing, with three other postulants, to enter in the brotherhood of this small medieval town. He went through trials which transformed him and brought him closer to the Church, even if he “was always very religious”. He is tattooed “all over his body”, but it is especially the immense angel wings on his neck that stand out. “I believe in angels, in the Resurrection, in everything. » 11 a.m., mass begins. Around twenty members of the brotherhood – out of more than 70 – enter in procession, behind a banner. Dressed in their alb, a red cape and a red “cord” – a sort of deacon’s stole, in the other sense – and a medal of the Blessed Sacrament, they take their position in the choir, on either side of an elegant marble high altar. Songs in Corsican, Latin, French… The mass, celebrated by Father Olivier Culioli, parted on the side and baby-faced, is solemn. The time comes to get dressed. Standing in a line, the applicants, supported by their godfathers who place their hand on their right shoulder, are given their outfit, previously blessed by the priest. They are now novices. In a year, they will be able to become fully confreres.

Born in 1539, the Sartène brotherhood is one of the oldest. The island has more than 70 organizations of this type, born at the very end of the Middle Ages, which mobilize more than 3,000 people. These associations, under the regime of the 1901 law, are one of the most striking aspects of the Corsican faith. They are now booming and are recruiting, among others, many young people. Living concretely the values ​​of fraternity and solidarity, their members are attentive to their neighbors and come to the aid of isolated people. Above all, they liven up the processions on the island and the funeral wakes. Their big hour: the catenacciu (the chained , Editor’s note) which attracts thousands of people from all over Corsica every Good Friday. An unparalleled Stations of the Cross. A red penitent carries a 33 kg cross, a white penitent drags 14 kg chains around his ankle. “The chains and the songs are all we hear that day,” testifies Sister Claire-François, the mother abbess of the Saint-Côme-Saint-Damien convent, who lives cloistered with the seven other sisters of her Clarisse community on the heights of Sartène. Finally, there are eight black penitents, representing the members of the Sanhedrin who judged Christ. Waiting lists list the names of those who wish to be dressed in black.

Constant mobilization

This fervor aroused the curiosity of Pope Francis, to the point that he decided to go to the island this Sunday, December 15. At the invitation of Cardinal François Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio, he will close a conference on “Popular religiosity in the Mediterranean” and will preside over a mass at the Théâtre de verdure du Casone at which more than 100,000 people are expected.. Already, in September 2023, during the consistory in Rome where the bishop was elevated to the rank of cardinal, the pope was impressed by the mobilization of the faithful on the island. More than 800 of them made the trip, punctuating the celebration with songs and cries of joy. The instant reaction of the sovereign pontiff has now spread around the island: “The Corsicans, we have heard them! »

In the streets of Ajaccio, enthusiasm and pride prevail for this historic event. Never, in the long history of the Church, had a pope set foot on Corsican soil. If the islanders are no more religious than the “mainlanders”, nine out of ten still openly identify themselves as Catholics. “I’m going to go see the pope at Casone. He inspires me with a lot of love, we feel he is very human, close to people; like our cardinal,” confides Nicolette, who walks with difficulty with her cane near the market hall.

But there are also some grumpy people, like this passerby who already sees huge traffic jams emerging. Some people wonder, like Angélique, 54 years old. “For me, it’s political. I wonder if the cardinal is not showing too much his closeness to the pope. Perhaps Francis is sending a message to others by saying: “When I am no longer here, it would be nice if it was him. “Isn’t the cardinal cutting corners a little? »

Father Patrick-François Vincensini, priest of the Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul parish, a modern church in a peripheral district of the city, freely expresses some reservations. “I’m happy. Our church will be the first that Francis will bless in a papa-mobile, from the airport. But I am also worried because of the cost of the visit: more than a million euros. The cardinal launched an appeal for donations. I don’t know if that will be enough. Finances are already in the red in our diocese and the deficit is growing. »

Between worship and culture

Modern churches and Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption cathedral in Ajaccio where Napoleon was baptized; medieval chapels and calvaries in the countryside… These landscapes shaped by faith are the living stones of a piety which has never wavered throughout the centuries. Through the building of numerous convents and their role in the development of brotherhoods, the Franciscans, upon their arrival in the 13th century, played a major role in the evangelization of the island. Polyphonic choirs (read the box at the end of the article) are an integral part of this Catholic tradition where worship and culture are closely intertwined. Without forgetting the requiem masses and funeral vigils punctuated by ancestral songs and during which the families of the deceased sometimes receive relatives, friends and neighbors in their hundreds.

And then there is Marie. Eight sanctuaries dedicated to the Virgin dot the island. As Stéphane Paganelli, member of the Sartène choir and middle school history and geography teacher, recalls, “December 8, the day of the Immaculate Conception, is also the Festa dia Nazione in other words the “Nation Day”, established by Pascal Paoli (1725-1807) the illustrious leader of independent Corsica. He thus placed the island under the protection of the Blessed Virgin. » He adds, with a smile: “The Virgin is very present here. She is Corsican! »

This faith is certainly tinged with certain traits of paganism, like Mazzerism. “As a child, in Sartène, I experienced a mazzera continues Stéphane Paganelli. A woman who practiced this kind of shamanism, typical of the Mediterranean basin. In a waking dream or in her sleep, she had visions: for example, she went hunting, killed an animal and identified the face of a person who would die within the year. For me, it is not antithetical to faith. But it is less and less present. We cannot escape modernity or globalization. » He also remembers his grandmother who practiced the ochju (1), a ritual more than 3,000 years old, which consists of chasing away the “evil eye”.

“We are a people”

Corsica has therefore been able to preserve its mixed traditions. It owes this firstly to its insularity but also to the strength and temperament of its inhabitants. Stéphane Paganelli insists with conviction: “We have a language, a land, links. We are a people! With its problems too, it’s true. »

Among these delicate subjects, the reception of migrants, whose arrival sometimes provokes strong reactions among residents. Or indifference. Gabrielle, a 35-year-old from Sarten, reacts after leaving mass: “Foreigners? No worries. There is no one more mixed than the Corsican people. Of course, we must welcome but also not forget that we are a very Christian land and that everyone must stay in their place. » In Ajaccio, Father Patrick-François Vincensini believes that Pope Francis should “stay on his opening message. But we must recognize that his announcements are divisive here…”

Even more daring would be a papal word on the mafia. The sovereign pontiff would not be making his first attempt since he has already expressed himself vigorously on several occasions on the subject, such as during a visit to Italy on June 21, 2014 where he targeted the ‘Ndrangheta ( 2) Calabrian: “Those who, in their lives, have chosen this path of evil, like the mafiosi, are not in communion with God, they are excommunicated. » “It would be good if he talked about it,” said Father Patrick-François Vincensini. Not sure he does. »

Under the Ajaccio sun, everyone goes about their business. Religion is not everyone’s concern. Christophe, in his thirties, wearing sunglasses, walks his dog. “I am not a believer. I only believe in myself. But the Pope does well to come here rather than to Notre-Dame. There are more Christians in Corsica than in Paris! »

1. “ Eye » in Corsica.
2. Criminal organization in the Calabria region, Italy.