A music band waits for Pope Francis at the small statue of the Madonuccia (Ajaccio's patron saint) in Ajaccio, during his trip on the French island of Corsica, on December 15, 2024. Pope Francis visits Corsica, a stronghold of the Catholic faith with locals hotly anticipating the first-ever trip by a pontiff to the French Mediterranean island. His short trip, based around a congress on faith in the Mediterranean region, comes just a week after he snubbed the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris five years after a devastating fire. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP) (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)