The subject has made its way from the French bishops' plenary assembly, held November 5-10, in the French Pyrénées, to the corridors of the Elysée Palace. It was an unavoidable matter: Pope Francis is expected to visit Corsica, specifically the city of Ajaccio, around December 14-15. He will attend a conference titled "Popular Religiosity in the Mediterranean." This third visit to France – following trips to Strasbourg in 2014 and Marseille in 2023 – marks a historic first for the island, which has never hosted a papal visit. Will this spark widespread enthusiasm? Not exactly.

There is, as yet, some uncertainty surrounding this visit. "We're waiting for an official announcement, and especially the program. We know from experience that, until the official confirmation, anything is possible and nothing can be considered certain," said a source close to the Vatican. The state of the 87-year-old Argentine pope's health remains a factor to consider. Although the city of Ajaccio, diocese and prefecture authorities have not officially confirmed the visit, they have all already begun preparing for it, with a weekly steering committee meeting. "If I were you, I'd already be booking my plane tickets," said a close associate of Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, Ajaccio's well-known bishop, who has served there since 2021.

Cardinal Bustillo is the driving force behind the pope's visit to the island. "He has forged a special relationship with the pontiff," said sources among the clergyman's associates, who accompanied him to Rome on September 30, 2023, when he was made a cardinal. In total, 800 residents of the island had made the trip with their "Vescu" ("bishop"), in three chartered planes, including the whole extended network of the island's elected representatives and confraternities. "Pope Francis was impressed by such a large delegation, and said, 'You came with your people?'" said two of the trip's participants.

They believe that, since that day, the idea of organizing a papal visit to the island has begun to take shape. In the height of summer, members of the Vatican's security service visited Ajaccio, establishing initial contacts. According to several sources, the Vatican's and Elysée's teams will visit the island in the week of November 11, to make security arrangements before Cardinal Bustillo's official announcement, set for November 16.

"We are seriously working on this hypothesis and, if it's confirmed, we'll hold a meeting every day, to think through the arrangements," said Alexandre Farina, Ajaccio's first deputy mayor. After all, there's just one month to go. "For the time being, the pope is expected in Ajaccio for one day only, on December 15," said an official, who preferred to remain anonymous. The pontiff is expected to attend the second day of the conference, visit the historic Genoese old town and, in the afternoon, hold a mass, potentially at the religious site of Casone.

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