At a conference on religion across the Mediterranean, the pontiff cautioned the varieties of spirituality that “seek self-aggrandizement by fuelling polemics, narrow-mindedness, divisions, and exclusivist attitudes.”
Pope Francis urged Catholic priests to guard against spiritual groups on Sunday that stoke political divisions, speaking during a one-day visit to Corsica, the first by a pontiff to the French Mediterranean island.
Speaking at a conference on religion across the Mediterranean, the pontiff cautioned against varieties of spirituality that “seek self-aggrandizement by fuelling polemics, narrow-mindedness, divisions, and exclusivist attitudes.”
“The Church’s pastors (are) called to be vigilant, to exercise discernment, and to be constantly attentive to (these) popular forms of religiosity,” the pope said. Francis did not name any specific religious groups when making his third and probably last foreign trip of 2024.
Much of France has a long history of lay Catholic associations known as confraternities, which Corsica shares. They usually deal with spiritual issues but sometimes are involved in local politics.
On Sunday, the pope will spend about nine hours in Ajaccio, Corsica’s capital. After attending the conference, he will celebrate an outdoor Mass with local Catholics and meet French President Emmanuel zMacron.
Visiting places that often do not draw attention internationally has been part of Francis’s policy of focusing on the people and problems in what he calls the “peripheries” of the world. Over his 11-year papacy, he has still not visited most of the capitals of Western Europe, including Paris.
