Frédéric Michel and Europe 1.fr / Photo credit: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP 6:00 a.m., March 30, 2024
It is the most important holiday of the Christian religion. This Sunday, millions of French Christians will gather to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, particularly in Corsica, where many processions are traditionally organized for Holy Week. For the occasion, Europe 1 interviews Cardinal François Bustillo, Bishop of Ajaccio.
Every year, all over the world, they come together to celebrate “the extraordinary.” On the occasion of Easter, a Christian holiday which brings the resurrection of Christ for believers, numerous processions, songs and other traditions are organized in France and particularly in Corsica where the Christian faith is very present. “It is more visible, more sensitive. It is lived. I believe that we need moments in Christian life and in ordinary life too, moments where we leave ordinary life to enter into the extraordinary” explains Cardinal François Bustillo at the microphone of Europe 1.
A Corsican particularity
"And Holy Week in Corsica is an extraordinary moment. There are processions, songs, canticles concerning the faith coming from ancient tradition. I believe that all these elements invite us to better experience the celebration of Easter", adds -he. The Bishop of Ajaccio is pleased that these traditions continue, traces of the Christian roots of France but also of Corsican roots. At Easter, Corsican processions are so spectacular that they are recognized around the world and even appear in travel guides.
A particularity that makes Cardinal François Bustillo proud. "I have seen it since I arrived here, almost three years ago, I see that these traditions are taken care of, highlighted. And many people coming from the continent and elsewhere, look with a certain nostalgia of a side and with a certain desire for the other side, this Christian tradition", he assures, hoping that this awakens "a desire for God" among certain spectators.
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