Pope France will travel to the French island of Corsica on Sunday where he will meet President Emmanuel Macron, a week after the pontiff raised eyebrows after deciding to skip the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
In addition to talks with Macron, Francis will also attend a meeting in the island’s capital, Ajaccio, on popular piety, including expressions of faith outside church celebrations.
The 87-year-old pope will also hold a mass with several thousand faithful.
Francis caused disruption in France last week when he did not join other world leaders in attending the reopening of Notre-Dame, a monumental medieval Catholic cathedral that was badly damaged by a fire about five years ago.
Francis, however, will be the first pope to visit Corsica, a Mediterranean island off the southern coast of France that has long longed for greater autonomy from Paris.
Most of the island’s 350,000 residents are Catholic.
It will be Francis’ last trip abroad this year before he returns to Rome for the busy Christmas period.
In addition to the usual festivities, the Pope will open the Holy Year 2025 on Christmas Eve.
The Catholic Holy Year, also known as the Jubilee, takes place only once every 25 years and millions of pilgrims are expected to make the journey to Rome for the occasion.
