“Yes, Pope Francis loves France!”
Was it difficult to convince the pope, soon to be 88 years old, to make the trip?
I did not embark on a seduction operation. I knew that the theme of the conference organized on the weekend of December 14 and 15 in Ajaccio, “popular religiosity in the Mediterranean” could interest him. I suggested he come, the prospect began to take shape last summer and here we are.
The pope’s visit, if confirmed, will be the second to France in just over a year. So he is not snubbing our country, contrary to what many Catholics still feel?
Quite the contrary. In his last encyclical Dilexit noshe cites models of French spirituality. In his letter published last July devoted to literature, he mentions many authors from our country. It’s his way of celebrating French culture. And he knows that France has a special role to play because of its unique heritage, its creativity, its ability to get back to basics. When the country goes through crises, it knows how to get back up.
How does the Pope view Corsica?
It is a Mediterranean island and we know the importance of this region for the Pope. Furthermore, geographically, it is located between Italy and France. The island represents a cultural and spiritual reality and has managed to preserve its traditions. For the Pope, this has a price. The Mediterranean has been, for millennia, a cradle of civilizations. It is important that there is dialogue between these different cultures, languages and religions. This conference will be an opportunity to see how in Sicily, Sardinia, Spain and Corsica, the sacred is manifested in the streets, and how secularism is experienced in these different places.
What is the state of the Church of Corsica?
The practice is no higher there than on the continent. Our insular originality consists rather in the absence of ideological hostility. Towards priests, deacons, religious, there is sympathy, respect, expectation, whether one is a believer or not. On the continent, we find more indifference and even hostility. It must be said that the local culture has guaranteed the continuity of traditions: the language, the prayers, the processions… This has taken root orally, through songs.
There is also the importance of brotherhoods, which are booming…
Yes, they bring together some 3,000 people in total, many of them young people. They were born in the 14th century and are very linked to the tradition of my religious order. They all wear ropes, like us Franciscans. Most of the time they are lay people, close to the communities. Their values are fraternity, solidarity, they are committed to the most deprived.
And then, there is the spiritual dimension since they sing, during funerals for example, lead the processions in dawn and colored clothes, offer prayer vigils. We are in the process of revitalizing an ancient tradition, not to resurrect it in a nostalgic way but to draw from it beautiful intuitions for our time. We have also appointed two deacons to support and train them in order to avoid isolated behavior which would turn into sectarianism. Alongside them, our 80 priests, including around thirty Africans, Poles and Lebanese, also contribute to the dynamism of the Church. The clergy from elsewhere helps us not to abandon territories, small villages and therefore people.
What are the other signs of fervor on the island?
This year, we have more than 200 confirmations of adults (1), we have accompanied 160 baptisms of catechumens. We have six seminarians. They are enthusiastic, know the terrain and above all, they want to give of themselves. Without falling into David’s sin of wanting to count his troops to measure his strength, it’s delightful!
The fact remains that Sunday assemblies, as on the continent, are not as well attended as hoped… What can the Church do to make people want to attend mass more?
We must not present a sad and fatalistic Church. In the past, the Church was a dream. Today, it can and has the duty to inspire dreams. Above all, don’t let it make you cry! The songs, the bell towers, the brotherhoods, all of this brought people together. Future priests will have to unite and make people dream.
Participating in mass is important because not only does it nourish us spiritually but it brings people together: from the right, from the left, from different traditions and professions, young people, older people… When I take my car and drive miles to going to meet the inhabitants of a tiny village – and for me, it is a privilege – we greet each other at mass but we also experience a friendly moment. Everyone meets for lunch around a wild boar or a Corsican veal. The cocktail combining worship, culture and conviviality is timely for our society.
How to live with secularization which also affects the Isle of Beauty?
First by remembering that it is an opportunity because it is accompanied by a great spiritual quest. Today, we see a real thirst for spirituality. It is up to the Catholic Church to show, without seeking to indoctrinate, a possible path to happiness. Our role as all members of the Church is to show the way and to question ourselves. I don’t say to myself: “Young people don’t go to mass, what a disaster!” But rather: “Okay, they’re not coming. Why? What are we doing to change that?” It’s not the problem of young people, it’s the problem of the Church. How bold are we? What creativity? To be content with the observation that people no longer come to mass and to cry out in desolation is too easy.
So what to do?
We must aim for gratuity and the good of people. Let us not seek our own interest. Freeness frees us from the temptation of seduction, domination and manipulation.
The second point is the good of each person: respecting the freedom of the person, their dignity. I say it with passion: we, members of the Church, have a unique and wonderful role, that of giving birth to the best that each person has. It’s magnificent! There are so many media, so many social networks, which are only interested in what is not beautiful, not good, dark in everyone. There will always be prophets to say what is going wrong. From this point of view, we are served. But who tells us today that the world can be more beautiful if we apply and embody the ideal of the Gospel? We must look for the good that is in everyone, the diamond that they carry within them. As long as the diamond remains under the rock, as long as it does not encounter the light, it does not shine. Many of our contemporaries are diamonds: there is potential, beauty, good. It’s up to us to be this light.
You are a Franciscan religious. What touches you in the figure of Francis of Assisi?
I heard about it for the first time in minor seminary, when I was eleven. At the time, it was the little birds, the nativity scene… I had a romantic image of it. Later, I discovered aspects of his life that marked me forever. I summarize it like this: the “repair and vision” pairing. As bishop and cardinal, I am touched by his call to work to repair the Church which, also in our time, has been damaged. By repairing, we restore its original beauty. It is not an act of archaeology, aesthetics or politics. It is to bring out once again the beauty of an institution which carries a soul and a charisma. And this can only be done by offering the Gospel. In doing so, we carry a vision. The two are linked. A vision for the world and society. It is not a question of dominating the world or demonizing it, of being sad or fatalistic. I think of the words of Saint John: “God so loved the world.” (2) Once again, we have an ideal to propose.
Should you be idealistic when you are a Christian?
Yes. We are still too often offered ideologies. In the years 1968 and following, the anarchist slogan was: “Neither God nor masters.” God, we evacuated him. We have had plenty of masters. Sixty years later, are we happier? Is the world getting better? We, Christians, have a powerful, wonderful ideal, which is the return to the Gospel. The Gospel of Matthew tells us: “Judge not so that you will not be judged” (3), “Love your enemies” (4), John tells us: “Love one another as I have loved you” ( 5). It’s not poetry, it’s an ideal. Without an ideal, there is no more hope and there is depression. In experiencing this movement between the real and the ideal, there is a tension and this is positive, constructive, vital.
Your prayer for France?
May she rediscover the freedom and audacity of her faith.
Many make you one papabile (6) well placed in view of a future conclave. A reaction?
All cardinals are by definition papabili and pope makers. But pity me, I’m 56 years old: if they make me pope, I’ll stay a very long time and I’m only a novice cardinal… So let’s give way to someone with a little more experience.
Comments collected by Romain Mazenod
