Pope Francis is the first pope to visit the French island of Corsica. For years, this area has captivated tourists from Europe and is also a site of local worship, various forms of devotion, and processions.

For the first time ever, a pope set foot on Corsican soil. On December 15, Pope Francis' visit to the French Mediterranean island sparked immense emotion. The Argentine pope, who felt "at home," praised the "healthy secularism" experienced on the island,

A brief visit by Pope Francis to the French island of Corsica puts a dual focus on the Mediterranean, highlighting local traditions of popular piety on the one hand and migrant deaths and wars on the other.

Pope Francis, on the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica, on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society.

Pope Francis urged Catholic priests on Sunday to guard against spiritual groups that stoke political divisions, speaking during a one-day visit to Corsica, the first by a pontiff to the French Mediterranean island.

The Dec. 15 papal Mass in a mix of French and Corsican took place as the sun set over Ajaccio, ending by candlelight with purple skies behind the hills bordering the port city.

Pope Francis on Sunday called for a "healthy secularism" while visiting the French island of Corsica. Christian and secular culture should not be pitted against each other, said Francis, who is the first pope to ever visit the Mediterranean island.

As Pope Francis became the first pope to celebrate Mass on the French island of Corsica Dec. 15, the usual excitement of an open-air Mass

On the first papal visit ever to the French island of Corsica, Pope Francis on Sunday called for a dynamic form of laicism, promoting the kind of popular piety that distinguishes the Mediterranean island from secular France as a bridge between religious and civic society.