It is on tiptoe that the bishops take a position in the electoral debate.
As with every presidential election, they are publishing a
“declaration”
on January 18 , entitled this year
“Hope does not disappoint”
(co-published by Bayard-editions, Mame, Editions du Cerf).
Why this low profile?
“
Our Church has failed,
” he explains on the issue of sexual abuse.
It is therefore “
with humility
” that the Conference of Bishops of France “
dares to share
” its thoughts while refraining from giving – and at no time during the campaign –
“voting instructions”.
Read alsoThe influence of Vatican diplomacy still very active
What's new in this 60-page document structured in 27 short thematic paragraphs?
On the form, a concern about the “
risk of fracturing
” of French society and a refusal to “
let oneself be locked up in bitterness and discouragement
” following the pandemic.
It is a question of “
choosing to live together in peace
” in an
“ethical and social vigilance”
starting with
“a pre-election debate which allows a frank and respectful meeting of ideas and programs”
.
Defense of “religious freedom”
The Catholic Church thus calls for respect for the “
rules of civility
” and protests against “
derision
”, which disqualifies a priori. Indeed "
everyone is free to question the opinions of others but all must refrain from derision and destructive humiliation
". She also insists as never before, at the end of this five-year term, on "
the excess and idolatry of power
" because "
politicians must beware of promising more than they are able to offer
".
On the merits of the files, the bishops come back to a plan of internal policy, to the collateral effects suffered by religions with the law against separatism and "
the temptation to undermine
" "
freedom of expression, association, of education, even of worship, and to the equality of citizens
". They therefore defend "
freedom of conscience
" as well as "
religious freedom
". They oppose the “
systematic denigration of cults
” and the fact that someone “
can be suspected a priori because of their denominational affiliation
”, rejecting the manipulation of “
fear
” for “
electoralist aims
”.
Read alsoMacron's pious wishes, the grievances of religions
As in no similar document, they also alert on internal security issues: "
It is worrying that the police, the gendarmerie and even the firefighters and the first aid can be insulted or even attacked
" and that these forces, undergoing "
violence extremes, feel little support in their fight against delinquency
".
Another alert, “
public debt
”, French society “
does not have the right
” to pass it on “to future generations.
“
Nationalist retreats
”
Strong news also on the international level, the alert on Europe and the moderation on immigration. In a chapter entitled "
France is not an island
", the Church, a great advocate of European construction, says it is disappointed by Europe
's "powerlessness, libertarian drift and technocratic excess
" which encourage "
folds nationalists
”.
As for the delicate question of migration, the Church moves from "
unconditional reception
" of migrants to "
adjusted reception
", based on the "
legitimacy of the legal regulation of migratory flows
" and accompanied by "
policies of aid to development
”.
But no candidate should "
take his side of these humanitarian tragedies
", even if the Church asks Christians to make migration a "
primary electoral issue
" .
Read alsoMacron's pious wishes, the grievances of religions
More usual, on the other hand, are the appeals of the text to the defense of life to be born or to the oldest, with the categorical refusal of “
the temptation of euthanasia
”.
Classic now is also ecology but in an “
integral
” vision.
And education to “
transmit
” in particular “
the sense of history, of silence, of gratuitousness
”.
Finally and as always, it is a "
duty
" for Catholics to vote, even "
white
": no question of abstaining.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/JDPNHS3CHAKZLL535F4Y3ASYDQ.jpg)
