Pope Francis has almost a billion faithful around the world and it is Marseille that he has chosen for the start of the 2023 school year for his visit to France. So, whether we adhere to this Church Leader or not and whatever their religion, most Marseille residents rejoiced.
Two very intense days!
It started with a spectacular visit from Our Lady of the Guard which dominates the Phocaean city under the southern blue sky! Then the meeting with the President in another splendid place, the Pharo Palace. Of course Pope Francis had to circulate among the people of Marseille in his popemobile before reaching the famous stadium Velodrome for a mass where 60000 people were waiting.
What visitor to Marseille would not dream of doing this circuit?!…
The Mediterranean as a highlight
Everyone understood the reason for the Pope's choice to go to Marseille, an eminently Mediterranean city: some would say a political choice, others humanist... It was Cardinal Aveline, originally from Algeria, who declared with a Pagnolesque accent that the Pope had become Marseille!
The fact remains that, for the simple humans that we are and for the tourists that we welcome, the hiking trails which overlook the great Blue and its calanques amaze as much as the city's historic sites.
Choose to stay in the Old Port to be close to centers of interest:
Hotel BelleVue , 34 quai du Port https://hotelbellevuemarseille.com/
