Religious ceremonies could resume around Pentecost if the health situation permitted. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Édouard Philippe before the Senate on Monday: "If the health situation does not deteriorate during the first weeks of the lifting of containment, the government is ready to study the possibility that religious services may resume from May 29, " he said. Friday May 29 would allow mosques to reopen on the day of great prayer, synagogues to celebrate Shavuot on Saturday May 30 and churches to celebrate Pentecost on Sunday. This request was made by religions at the end of last week.
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The Prime Minister took the opportunity to clear up misunderstandings that may have arisen from his speech before the National Assembly on April 28. His then announced refusal not to allow religious services before June 2 - and not from May 11 as hoped by the Catholic Church - had thrown a real chill. "I hear, " he said, " the distress of believers, deprived of gatherings and celebrations which are not only an expression of their religious affiliation but one of the living sources of their faith (...). I understand the impatience of the ministers of religion of all faiths. I urge them to wait conscientiously so that we do not regret a hasty decision. ”
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Indeed, argued the head of government: "Ceremonies, offices, in churches, synagogues, temples and mosques and all the more so weddings, baptisms, Bar Mitzvahs, bring together loved ones and less loved ones in places often confined with a form of mixing that is deeply pleasing in normal times but infinitely perilous in times of health crisis. ”
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Joined by Le Figaro, Haïm Korsia, chief rabbi of France, estimated that "it is rather good news because we will not take any risk" . Same position of caution for Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Council of the Muslim religion, who does not plan to open the mosques on May 29 "because Friday is a day of great affluence" . As for the Catholic bishops assembled in assembly by videoconference, Monday, they did not wish to comment on the speech of Edouard Philippe. Their director of communication, Vincent Neymon, clarifying: "The conference of bishops of France intends and continues to work with the ministerial services as planned."
