2e REP: Pope Francis’ visit to Corsica | French Foreign Legion Information

On Sunday, December 15, 2024, Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State, made the first papal visit ever to France’s Corsica. Legionnaires of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) were among the security forces responsible for maintaining order during the pontiff’s visit. This elite regiment is stationed on the island.

Unlike secular France, Corsica is a strongly Catholic country; around 90 percent of its inhabitants are Catholic. Pope Francis spent about nine hours in the island’s capital, Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte. The pontiff celebrated an outdoor Mass with an estimated crowd of 15,000 Catholics, and also met briefly with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Pope Francis made his visit to Corsica just two days before his 88th birthday and a week after refusing to attend the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Follow some pictures with the 2e REP legionnaires who reinforced security forces to maintain order during Pope Francis‘ visit to Corsica on December 15, 2024.

2e REP - Pope Francis - Corsica - 2024

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