The National Assembly validated on Friday February 12 the new tools of the “
separatism
”
bill
to finance worship, after a heated debate and concerns of certain elected officials on “
a questioning of the balances
” of the law of 1905.
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Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin explained that he wanted to encourage cults not to depend on “
foreign funding
”, but on “the
faithful on national soil
”.
According to him, it is "
totally in accordance with the spirit of (the law) of 1905
", on the separation of Church and State.
Against the backdrop of the fight against “
Islamist separatism
”, the executive wants to encourage Muslim and evangelical cultural associations, overwhelmingly under the status of the 1901 law, to migrate to the legal regime of the 1905 law. New tools are associated with it. financing, such as the possibility of operating “
investment properties
”: owning and administering buildings acquired free of charge in order to generate income.
The MoDem deputy François Pupponi said he was in favor of "
helping
" Islam, "which
appeared later in the country
" to "
put itself somewhere at the level
" of other religions present in France.
Conversely, the Communist Alain Bruneel criticized a "
deviation of the spirit of the law of 1905
", which "
entrusts to religious associations the sole management of worship, no more, no less
".
"
This measure will benefit the oldest cults and whose faithful are more able to pass on goods
", he added.
The LREM François Cormier-Bouligeon also criticized this article 28 and a philosophy of “
counterparts and rebalancing
” between religions not falling, according to him, to the role of the “
secular state
”.
"
That the cult takes care of the cult and that the real estate actors take care of the real estate
", he concluded.
LR Annie Genevard also denounced a "
dangerous
" device.
The general rapporteur of the bill, Florent Boudié (LREM), on the contrary defended this article to allow religious associations to "
finance themselves
".
He underlined the safeguards put in place and passed an amendment to “
cap
” income from investment properties in the “
proportion of 33% of the total annual resources of associations
”.