MovinOnUp
June 2nd, 2007, 09:21 AM
Sarkozy pressed to ditch secularism and fund religion
With the election of Nicholas Sarkozy as the new President of France, the Catholic Church has lost no time in pressing him to undermine the 1905 law separating church and state. The former Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran has said that he hopes Sarkozy will “ease” France’s legislation so that the state can provide financial support to religion.
The French-born cleric, now head of the Vatican library, told the Vatican newspaper Avvenire that Mr Sarkozy was “extraordinarily open to religion” He said Mr Sarkozy regarded laïcité – the official Church-State split of 1905 – not as the enemy of religion but as a guarantee that all faiths can flourish.
All the same, the Church is indicating that it intends to encourage Mr Sarkozy to pursue a policy he first expressed in a book he wrote in 2004 entitled The Republic, Religions and Hope – the book “signalled the possibility of altering the 1905 law… to make possible state financing of the major religions”.
entire article:
http://www.secularism.org.uk/82262.html
“I will never call into question the separation of church and state. But this principle has never been and must never become an excuse for remaining inactive in the face of the situation of millions of our fellow citizens, namely Muslims, who are sometimes reduced to performing their religious observances in unrenovated cellars and left to the mercy of extremist preachers. I wish to find a solution to this problem, in a spirit of consultation with all the affected parties and with respect for the principle of laïcité.”
Since he is a very active member of the EU, I thought this was worthwhile info to post, and keep an eye on.
With the election of Nicholas Sarkozy as the new President of France, the Catholic Church has lost no time in pressing him to undermine the 1905 law separating church and state. The former Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran has said that he hopes Sarkozy will “ease” France’s legislation so that the state can provide financial support to religion.
The French-born cleric, now head of the Vatican library, told the Vatican newspaper Avvenire that Mr Sarkozy was “extraordinarily open to religion” He said Mr Sarkozy regarded laïcité – the official Church-State split of 1905 – not as the enemy of religion but as a guarantee that all faiths can flourish.
All the same, the Church is indicating that it intends to encourage Mr Sarkozy to pursue a policy he first expressed in a book he wrote in 2004 entitled The Republic, Religions and Hope – the book “signalled the possibility of altering the 1905 law… to make possible state financing of the major religions”.
entire article:
http://www.secularism.org.uk/82262.html
“I will never call into question the separation of church and state. But this principle has never been and must never become an excuse for remaining inactive in the face of the situation of millions of our fellow citizens, namely Muslims, who are sometimes reduced to performing their religious observances in unrenovated cellars and left to the mercy of extremist preachers. I wish to find a solution to this problem, in a spirit of consultation with all the affected parties and with respect for the principle of laïcité.”
Since he is a very active member of the EU, I thought this was worthwhile info to post, and keep an eye on.