Emmanuel Macron will attend the mass which will be celebrated by Pope Francis at the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille on September 23, confirms the Elysée

He will ultimately go to Marseille. Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by his wife, Brigitte, will attend Pope Francis’ mass organized at the Vélodrome stadium on September 23, the Elysée confirms, Thursday September 14.

“VSIt is not necessarily the place of the President of the Republic to attend a mass.”estimated the national secretary of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, Thursday morning at franceinfo. “I respect the faith and the faithful. But, I disagree with the fact that an elected official, and in particular the President of the Republic, participates in this capacity in a religious ceremony.”also reacted Alexis Corbière on (formerly Twitter).

Rejecting criticism from left-wing elected officials who considered that such a presence would be a breach of the principle of secularism, the entourage of the Head of State considered that the separation between Church and State did not exclude “absolutely not that the Republic maintains relations” with “all religions. The presidency clarified that the president would not participate “to the Eucharist”that is to say, he would not receive communion.