Vatican City: Due to the tight schedule of his return flight, Pope Francis was unable to hold his usual press conference with the journalists accompanying him. However, he still took a moment to express his happiness at seeing so many parents with children in Ajaccio. Journalists on the plane also had a surprise in store for the Pope, presenting him with a cake to mark his upcoming 88th birthday on December 17.
On his flight back from Ajaccio to Rome, the Pope did not host the customary press conference with the on board media, which typically takes place after each apostolic journey. The flight’s incredibly short duration—less than 40 minutes—did not leave enough time for this tradition. This was an unusual occurrence, as such brief journeys are rare for the Pope's international trips.
As soon as Pope Francis boarded the plane, however, he was eager to greet the 67 journalists who had accompanied him during his brief ten-hour visit to Corsica. He shared his thoughts with them, remarking on something that had struck him most during his time in Ajaccio: the number of children he had seen at various events, especially at Mass in the Place d’Austerlitz and even on the streets, with parents holding or walking alongside their little ones.
“Thank you so much for your work,” the Pope began. “But I want to point something out—did you notice how many children there are here? This is a land with children." He went on, "In both East Timor and here, I was touched to see a people who have children. This is the future.”
The Pope expressed his gratitude again to the journalists, photographers, and cameramen, telling them, “Thank you so much for everything. I look forward to seeing you on the next trip!” When asked where that would be, he responded with a smile, “I don’t know!”
The brief flight did provide a moment of celebration when Aigav, the association of Vatican-accredited journalists from around the world, presented the Pope with a special birthday cake. The cake, though not an actual edible one (referred to as a “fake cake” by some), was crafted by a Roman bakery that offered it out of admiration for the Pope. It was a three-tiered creation adorned in the white and yellow of the Vatican flag, with the message “Happy Birthday Pope Francis” and a figurine of the Pope giving a thumbs-up at the top, along with the words “Best Wishes!” on the base.
The cake was presented to the Pope amid a chorus of “Happy Birthday” sung by the French journalists on board. It was handed to him by Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, the dean of Vatican journalists and newly elected president of Aigav, who has accompanied the Pope on 161 trips. “All the journalists wished him a happy birthday,” Alazraki said with a smile as she presented the cake. The Pope graciously received the gesture, smiling and repeatedly expressing his thanks, blessing the journalists whom he has long referred to as his “travel companions.”