Pope Francis arrived in Marseille on Friday afternoon for a two-day visit dedicated to the Mediterranean and the challenge of migration, in the context of growing hostility towards migrants within Europe.
The Supreme Pontiff’s plane landed shortly after 16:00 (14:00 GMT) at Marignan Airport, where he was received by French Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne, before heading to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde on the heights of the second largest city in France.
Announcement
The 86-year-old Pope had warned that he would not come to France on a state visit, but rather to Marseille, a cosmopolitan city in the south where a wide range of sects and religions coexist, to denounce the tragedy of sinking migrant ships and defend their cause.
This issue is important for Pope Francis, who has been denouncing speeches of rejection and policies of closure since his election in 2013.
His visit comes a few days after thousands of people arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa, which prompted the European Union to adopt a contingency plan to help Rome manage migration flows from North Africa.
This road is considered the most dangerous in the world, as more than 28,000 people who have tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe have gone missing since 2014, according to the International Organization for Migration. The Pope has long denounced “the largest cemetery in the world.”
In France, the Pope’s visit was received differently by the right, including his Catholic and conservative representatives, who criticized his political interventions and accused him of doing too much towards immigrants.
“lifetime opportunity”
Nearly 500 years after the last visit by a Pope to Marseille, this is also the first trip by a Pope to France since his predecessor Benedict European.
In a country that has been governed by the principle of secularism since 1905, the leftist opposition accused President Emmanuel Macron of “trampling” on the state’s religious neutrality by announcing his participation in the great mass that the Pope will preside over on Saturday at the Velodrome Stadium.
Despite the decline of Catholicism in France, which has accelerated due to the crisis of sexual violence in the church, this visit arouses great enthusiasm, as tens of thousands of believers are expected to attend.
The visiting Pope concludes the third edition of the Mediterranean Meetings (from 18 to 24 September), after Bari in 2020 and Florence in 2022. This meeting between bishops and young people will address economic inequality, interreligious dialogue and global warming, among other issues.
There are many familiar themes for the Argentine pope, who shows a deep interest in the Mediterranean basin.
Announcement
Joseph Ajshi, a 25-year-old Syrian man from Aleppo, is “really excited to see the Pope,” saying, “It is the opportunity of a lifetime. It is important to meet other people, not just listen to stories.” This young Christian participant in these meetings told Agence France-Presse, “We have a lot in common with others, but without knowing it.”
“Relieve stress”
For his part, Franky Domingo, a Benin citizen who heads a gathering of immigrants in Marseille demanding the legalization of their conditions, hopes that this visit will lead to “restoring a little hope” and “reducing tension at the political level,” in a city that is “cosmopolitan, multicultural, and multireligious,” but “ It faces enormous difficulties, (most notably) drug trafficking, which causes the loss of lives every day, and the housing problem.”
This visit, which is subject to strict security measures, will conclude on Saturday with a huge mass in front of 57,000 people at the Velodrome football stadium in Marseille, after the Pope drives around in his car on Avenue du Prado, so that the public can greet him.
He will also meet Pope Emmanuel Macron, after receiving him three times in the Vatican.
Announcement
At his side throughout his visit will be Archbishop of Marseille Jean-Marc Avelin, the main architect of this visit, who appointed him a cardinal in 2022.
It is the forty-fourth trip abroad for the Pope, who now uses a wheelchair, and who admitted in early September that travel for him “is no longer as easy as it was in the beginning.”
Additional sources • AFP
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2023-09-22 15:50:28
