The President of the Republic is criticized by part of the left for his decision to attend a mass given by Pope Francis in Marseille. To defend itself, the Elysée retorts that it will not actively participate.
A political symbol… and controversy. Several left-wing elected officials criticize Emmanuel Macron’s decision to attend Pope Francis’ mass with his wife Brigitte, organized at the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille on Saturday September 23. A private meeting between the two men is also planned at the Pharo Palace, as part of Francis’ visit to Marseille for the Mediterranean Meetings, a cycle of conferences bringing together ecclesiastics from around the Mediterranean.
The president’s decision to attend the religious ceremony, confirmed by the Elysée on Thursday September 14, is pointed out by some as an attack on secularism, established by the law of 1905 which separates the Church from the State and guarantees religious freedom. “Macron goes on record without respect for his own function”thus asserted Jean-Luc Mélenchon on (formerly Twitter), while LFI deputy Bastien Lachaud accused on the same social network Emmanuel Macron of “se [moquer] of secularism and [de piétiner] its principles”, calling him “tartuffe”.
Criticisms coming from the left, as summarized by environmentalist senator Mélanie Vogel onfocus on the alleged incompatibility between the office of president and attendance at a religious ceremony. “A secular republic, it is a republic which allows everyone to exercise the religion of their choice, but it is a private order”explained Fabien Roussel, national secretary of the Communist Party, on franceinfo, judging that a “President of the Republic does not have to show his preference for a religion”.
Presence without participation
Nothing to worry about the Elysée, which rejected “a political controversy” during a briefing with the press on Thursday. “Emmanuel Macron will be present at mass as head of state, but will not participate”thus qualifies the Elysée, emphasizing that “the law on secularism does not exclude interacting with religions” and recalling that “the president has already attended other religious ceremonies, such as breaking the fast after Ramadan”. “I will not go as a Catholic, but as President of the French Republic, which is indeed secular”explained the main interested party on Friday, visiting Semur-en-Auxois (Côte-d’Or).
The nuance between “presence” And “participation” is important to understand the rules surrounding the head of state on the question of secularism. “The president is both elected and representative of the state administration. He is therefore subject to neutrality when he is in office, particularly in religious matters”explains to franceinfo Nicolas Cadène, former general rapporteur of the Secularism Observatory and co-founder of the Vigil of Secularism. Concretely, the president therefore has the right “to attend a mass as part of one’s official duties, because it is a political or diplomatic opportunity”but “he will not be able to show adhesion to the cult”. No question, therefore, for the Head of State to take communion or cross himself. “I myself will not have religious practice during this mass,” confirmed Emmanuel Macron on Friday.
First time in 43 years
Despite the controversy, he is not the first president to attend a mass given by the pope. The latest example, however, is 43 years old. As recalled Release, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing attended a mass given by John Paul II in Paris in 1980. More recently, in 2009, it was the Prime Minister, François Fillon, who attended a mass given by Benedict XVI, provoking there also a controversy.
In addition to the exceptional papal masses, presidents regularly attend religious ceremonies as part of their duties. Valentine Zuber, historian and ddirector of studies at the Practical School of Advanced Studiesunderlines the existence “many examples of sitting presidents attending Jewish or Muslim holidays,” but also “at the Catholic funerals of former presidents”. Those of Jacques Chirac had thus brought together “the whole government” at the Saint-Sulpice church in Paris on September 27, 2019.
The fact remains that, beyond questions of law, it is the symbolism of the presidential presence at the papal mass which concerns certain elected officials, a few weeks after the ban on the abaya at school in the name of secularism. Baptized at 16, the head of state affirmed in 2018 that he wanted “repair link” between Church and State. Emmanuel Macron and Pope Francis have, moreover, forged a strong relationship, to the point of being familiar with each other, recalls France Inter. What raises questions about the head of state’s relationship with the Catholic religion?
“He has the right to his personal beliefs, like any citizen”recalls Valentine Zuber, who emphasizes that “Charles de Gaulle was also a fervent Catholic”. For its part, the Elysée underlines above all the diplomatic significance of the president’s presence in Marseille, recalling that Pope Francis “is also a head of state”in this case from the Vatican. “This visit is first and foremost a question of political opportunity, which can be assessed differently depending on the elected officials”summarizes Nicolas Cadène, who recalls that the State must still ensure “not to favor one religion over another”.