Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Pope Benedict calls on France to make religion part of a new Europe

President Nicolas Sarkozy / Pope Benedict XVI

Paris, Sep 12, 2008 / 10:54 am (CNA).- Upon arriving in France on Friday afternoon, Pope Benedict XVI called on the French people to engage in a new level openness to the Church, one which recognizes the “irreplaceable role” of religion in forming consciences and in creating a “basic ethical consensus within society.”

The Pope delivered his address to President Nicolas Sarkozy, numerous civil and religious authorities, and the entire nation of France from the Elysee Palace, just after having held a private meeting with the president at 12:30 p.m.

After thanking the French for the “warm reception” they have given him, the Holy Father explained that the principal reason for his visit is to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes.

“It is my desire to join the multitude of countless pilgrims from the whole world who during this year are converging on the Marian shrine, filled with faith and love. It is this faith and this love that I will celebrate here in your land during these four days of grace which have been granted to me,” the Pope said.

Benedict XVI then launched into a recounting of the pivotal importance of the Church in the history of Gaul, which later became France. This history, he reflected, should lead people to look at the modern relationship between the Church and State, a relationship which has been characterized during the last two centuries by secular society dismissing anything influenced by faith. In practice, this strict division between secular and religious life has been implemented under a policy know as laïcité.
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 4:08 PM