Pope in Corsica: ‘Popular piety fosters evangelization and community’

By Lisa Zengarini

Far from being an obsolete folkloristic expression, popular piety can be a powerful means for evangelization today, fostering community and belonging, Pope Francis said in his first speech during his Apostolic Journey to Corsica.

Speaking at the Palais des Congrès et d’Exposition of Ajaccio at the conclusion of the "Congress on Popular Piety in the Mediterranean", the Pope reiterated that the “active evangelizing power” of these expressions of faith should not be underestimated in our secularized societies, and called for a constructive dialogue between Christian and secular cultures.

Dialogue between Christian and secular cultures

At the beginning of his speech, Pope Francis remembered how the Mediterranean, the “cradle of many highly developed civilizations”, has historically served as a crossroads for cultures, ideas, and legal and institutional frameworks that continue to influence the modern world, and is the place where the dialogue between God and humanity reached its culmination in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. 

The Pope observed how for centuries, the Christian faith shaped the lives of peoples and their political institutions, though today people are becoming “increasingly indifferent” to God’s presence and His Word, “especially in European countries.”

This, however, should not lead to “hasty considerations and ideological judgements that, even in our day, would pit Christian culture and secular culture against one another”. Instead, the Pope remarked, “It is important to acknowledge a mutual openness between these two horizons”, also in consideration of the fact that non-believers or those who have distanced themselves from religious practice “are not strangers to the search for truth, justice and solidarity.”

“Even if they do not belong to any religion, they carry in their hearts a great thirst, a search for meaning, which leads them to ponder the mystery of life and to seek out core values for the common good,” he said.

The evangelizing and community-building power of popular piety

In this context, Pope Francis continued, “We can appreciate the beauty and importance of popular piety” which allows people—whether deeply devout or on the periphery of faith—to connect with their spiritual roots. 

By expressing faith through simple gestures and a symbolic language rooted in the culture of the people, the Pope argued, “popular piety reveals God’s presence in the living flesh of history, strengthens the relationship with the Church and often becomes an occasion for encounter, cultural exchange and celebration.”

Need for pastoral discernment

However, Pope Francis againts the risks of reducing popular piety to mere external or folkloristic rituals devoid of deeper spiritual engagement, or even to superstition He therefore called  for vigilance "through careful theological and pastoral discernment.”

The positive impact of popular piety on society

Pope Francis then touched on the positive impact  of popular piety on society as a whole by fostering an “authentic” faith which is “not reduced to a private affair”, but committed to  promoting “human development, social progress and care for creation.” Popular piety, he argued, strengthens the communal fabric of society and nurtures "constructive citizenship," enabling collaboration with secular, civil and political institutions “in the service of each person, beginning with the poor, for an integral human growth and the care of the environment.”

Promoting a “healthy secularity”

This constructive and respectful cooperation between civil and ecclesial authorities “for the benefit of the whole community”, he said, is an example of what the late Pope Benedict XVI called a “healthy secularity” that prevents the politicization of religion while ensuring that politics is informed by ethical and spiritual values.

Renewed commitment to the Gospel and the common good

Bringing his speech to a close, Pope Francis encouraged the Catholic community in Corsica to continue cultivating its deep-rooted religious traditions and the existing dialogue between the Church and the civil and political institutions.

He also encouraged young Corsicans “to become even more actively involved in social, cultural and political life, inspired by solid ideals and a passion for the common good”   and called on the Church’s Pastors and political leaders to remain “close to the people,” attentive to their needs and aspirations. "The pastor who does not have this closeness, even to history and culture, is simply 'Monsieur l’Abbé', he is not a pastor," he said. 

Finally, Pope Francis expressed hope that the Congress on Popular Piety might inspire a renewed commitment to the Gospel and the common good, rooted in faith and service.