Pope Francis will visit Corsica on December 15 for a conference on Catholic faith in the Mediterranean, marking the first papal visit to the island.

This comes days after declining an invitation to the reopening of Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral on December 7, citing a desire not to overshadow the event.

Instead, Francis will remain in the Vatican for a cardinal creation ceremony.

The Corsica trip, led by Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, reflects Francis’s focus on smaller Catholic communities and Mediterranean challenges like migration and interfaith dialogue, the International Business Times has reported.

The 88-year-old pontiff has made 47 overseas trips but no state visits to France, Spain, the UK, or Germany since his 2013 election.

Written by B.C. Begley