Francis' apostolic journey to the French Mediterranean island. From this symbolic place he concluded the congress on popular piety. In Europe the "question about God seems to be waning", but the opening between "Christian culture and secular culture" must be recognised. In the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption the meeting with the religious: "Do not forget to weep before the Lord". 

Ajaccio (AsiaNews) - Francis today became the first Pope to set foot on the French island of Corsica, on his 47th apostolic journey. A one and a quarter hour flight from Rome to Ajaccio, the place overlooking the Mediterranean Sea that was the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Welcoming him this morning were several authorities - including the French Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin - and hundreds of people, leaning out of balconies and lining the roadsides crossed by the open car. Francis went to the Palais de Congres for the conclusion of the initiated congress on popular piety.

It 'reveals the presence of God in the living flesh of history, strengthens the relationship with the Church and often becomes an occasion for encounter, cultural exchange and celebration,' he said.

The pope met with some 400 scholars, bishops, academics and representatives from different areas overlooking what he described as a 'great lake in the middle of three continents', and a 'unique sea in the world': the Mediterranean.

He was welcomed into the auditorium by a long applause, where the pontiff entered with local authorities and Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio, at his side. It was to the Mare Nostrum that Francis immediately dedicated his attention.

"It has been the ideal setting for the birth of myths, tales and legends," he said. The civilisations that overlooked it developed 'legal systems and institutions of remarkable complexity, whose basic principles are still valid and relevant today'.

But also a "very special" religious experience, which culminated in the "singular presence of Jesus, the Son of God". 

More than two thousand years have passed since the incarnation of the Son of God, and "many have been the epochs and cultures that have followed".

Many scenarios have changed since then, especially when analysing the influence of the Christian faith on culture and society.

"At certain moments in history, the Christian faith has informed the life of peoples and its own political institutions, while today, especially in European countries, the question about God seems to be waning and we find ourselves increasingly indifferent to his presence and his Word," Bergoglio explained.

However, caution must be exercised in defining this analysis, so as not to fall into haste or ideological judgments, especially when getting to the bottom of the relationship between "Christian culture and secular culture".

"It is important to recognise a reciprocal openness between these two horizons," said the pope. In fact, believers "open themselves with ever greater serenity to the possibility of living their faith without imposing it", while the laity "are no strangers to the search for truth, justice and solidarity", he added.

The 'beauty' of popular piety, the name given by St Paul VI to 'religiosity' in his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Nuntiandi, fits into this framework.

"The practice of popular piety also attracts and involves people who are on the threshold of faith," said Bergoglio, who then echoed the words of Pope Montini. "In popular piety one can grasp the way in which the faith received has been incarnated in a culture and continues to be transmitted."

"When popular piety succeeds in communicating the Christian faith and the cultural values of a people, uniting hearts and amalgamating a community, then an important fruit is born that falls on the whole of society, and also on the relations between political, social and civil institutions and the Church," he added. 

"Dear sisters and brothers, popular piety, which is very deep-rooted here in Corsica - and it is not superstition - brings out the values of faith and, at the same time, expresses the face, history and culture of peoples," Pope Francis said.

"In this interweaving, without confusion, the constant dialogue between the religious and secular worlds, between the Church and civil and political institutions, takes shape. On this issue, you have been on the road for a long time, it is your tradition, and you are a virtuous example in Europe. Go ahead! And I would like to encourage young people to become even more actively involved in socio-cultural and political life, with the impetus of the healthiest ideals and a passion for the common good'.

After the concluding moment at the Palais de Congres Bergoglio moved on to the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, where he met bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated men and women and seminarians.

In the intimate setting that was created, a far cry from the usual St. Peter's Square packed with faithful at the Sunday Angelus at the Vatican, Francis in his reflection on a life devoted to God let loose with many personal anecdotes.

He shared a twofold invitation with those present: 'Take care of yourselves and take care of others'. On the first, he emphasised the importance of "preserving a few moments of solitude" and caring for fraternity among religious men and women.

"Let us learn to share not only the labours and challenges, but also the joy and friendship among us," he said. Quoting the Psalm that says "You have changed my lament into a dance" (Ps 30:12), he added that "it is a bad thing to find a priest with a bitter heart". 

On the second invitation, he added: "Do not be afraid to change, to revise old patterns, to renew the languages of faith, learning at the same time that mission is not a matter of human strategies: it is first and foremost a matter of faith".

Speaking about the sacrament of reconciliation, he said: "Always forgive and forgive everything", without "asking too many questions".

Then, a confidence of Bergoglio's, in the days in which the anniversary of his priesthood falls, 55 years in fact the consecration took place: "Never have I denied absolution". And addressing those present: "Do not forget to weep before the Lord". 

At the end, before the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis returned with a strong appeal for peace. "From this Island of the Mediterranean, we raise to her [the Virgin Mary, ed.] the supplication for peace: peace for all the lands bordering this Sea, especially for the Holy Land where Mary gave birth to Jesus. Peace for Palestine, for Israel, for Lebanon, for Syria, for the entire Middle East! Peace in tormented Myanmar. And may the Holy Mother of God obtain the longed-for peace for the Ukrainian people and the Russian people".

On the parties involved in the European conflict, he added: "May they understand each other". And again: 'Brothers, sisters, war is always a defeat. And war in religious communities, war in parishes, is always a defeat. May the Lord give us all peace'.