Emmanuel Macron is expected this afternoon on the famous rocky islet of the English Channel to celebrate the millennium of the foundation of his abbey. He will announce a campaign to classify more religious buildings in France of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as historical monuments, in order to facilitate their preservation, with the possible launch of a financial subscription to the French to restore this "modest religious heritage".
Of some 50,000 places of worship (including 42,000 Catholics) in France, only 10,500 are protected as historical monuments, a label that opens access to aid from the Ministry of Culture, said the Elysee.
On site, the president will visit the exhibition "The abode of the archangel", which traces through thirty objects the history of this jewel of French heritage, and give a speech.
Since François Mitterrand in 1983, presidents have flocked to this emblematic place to carry their message. In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy chose to launch his presidential campaign there.
The "walls and eternity of the Mount" embody just like the forces that landed on June 6, 1944 in Normandy "the notions of resistance and resilience," says an adviser to Emmanuel Macron.
The silhouette of the abbey, between land and sea, symbolizes "everything that makes the French a people of conquerors and builders," notes the Élysée. "It is a place that attests to the ability of our people to adapt to the times" and that embodies the "battles that must and will have to be fought" in the face of climate change.
Will the head of state make the link with the political news, punctuated in recent weeks by the long pension crisis, while his popularity rating rebounds after several months of strong mistrust?