It was not too long ago when Canal +, a public television channel in France, aired a news segment about Nicolas Sarkozy, current presidential hopeful and then still minister of the interior, present in a public religious ceremony involving the maritime tradition of a Roman Catholic priest blessing a boat before it sets sail. Despite its laïcité, the French society is rather cognizant of the fact that Catholicism is undeniably tied to their nation’s rich cultural past, and certain traditions that have been carried on and maintained from this past are therefore still seen as acceptable today, as is the case with this ceremony. It is also acceptable that certain government officials be present to witness the act. There is a line that is drawn, however, when the presence becomes an active one.
The French seem to be rather comfortable talking about religion with others in a philosophical sense, addressing religion as an abstract concept, distanced from them. When it comes to talking about their religion, however, it’s a different story. One’s own personal religion is rarely mentioned in social settings and most certainly never in professional settings, particularly if your professional domain is that of the political world. In the news clip aired, Sarkozy is actually seen crossing himself on stage, hence publicly acknowledging himself as a Christian, something that is not acceptable for someone in his position to be doing. A politician in France is to be seen as religion-less as far as the public is concerned; he/she is to be neutral in this aspect and must never ground any of his/her political beliefs on any religious morale. We can then understand why Sarkozy’s gesture was seen as a rather shocking one that made the day’s newspaper headlines. The reporter narrating the story on Canal + concluded the segment with, “[This was] a religious gesture that a Minister of State should exempt himself from,” adding, with a certain tone of sarcasm, “this too is the tradition, but this one that of the Republic.”
Although official government surveys on religious affiliation are not permitted in France, La Croix, a quotidian newspaper traditionally associated with the Catholic religion although it is said to be of the secular center left today, published (in early March) results of their own survey on what presidential candidate the self-identified French Catholics were most likely to vote for in the first round of elections on the upcoming April 22. Not too surprisingly, Sarkozy was 5 points higher in voter intentions among Catholic voters, at 33 percent, than in his national French average voter intention. Conversely, according to the same survey, among voters with no stated religious affiliations, presidential candidate Ségolène Royal of the Socialist Party took the lead (with an equal 33 percent of voter intentions, versus her 22 percent among Catholic voters).
As the candidate of the main French conservative political party, the Union for a Popular Movement, Sarkozy may pose a threat to the Republican value of the separation between church and state, set into law in France on December 9, 1905. The law states, "The Republic neither recognizes, nor salaries, nor subsidizes any religion." In direct opposition to this principle, Sarkozy has been quoted saying, "Religion has its two cents to add in the big societal debates," adding that he sometimes " regrets that it [religion] does not do so more often [intervene in matters of societal debate]." Taking these comments into account, it could then be that perhaps the notorious crossing himself in public incident was in fact no lapse, but an intentional gesture that stands as a foreshadowing of changes to come in French society.
And as the candidate leading first round voter intention polls at 31.5 percent (while Royal, the runner up, stands at 24.5 percent and François Bayrou of the Union for French Democracy is in third at 18.5 percent), it could indeed be that perhaps Frances longstanding tradition of laïcité as it stands today may no longer be the same in a few years. While Sarkozy has softened his speech on the topic since becoming a presidential candidate, it is a secret to none that he once bred explicit thoughts of altering the 1905 law to allow, at a bare minimum, for municipalities to finance the construction of places of worship. Despite the current toning down in order to increase his appeal to larger groups of the population for the elections, he has been unwavering in his plans to continue the discussion [on the law of 1905 and a possible amendment to it] with representatives of all religions, as he recognizes that that this is a topic that cannot be advanced on without a consensus.
Although official government surveys on religious affiliation are not permitted in France, La Croix, a quotidian newspaper traditionally associated with the Catholic religion although it is said to be of the secular center left today, published (in early March) results of their own survey on what presidential candidate the self-identified French Catholics were most likely to vote for in the first round of elections on the upcoming April 22. Not too surprisingly, Sarkozy was 5 points higher in voter intentions among Catholic voters, at 33 percent, than in his national French average voter intention. Conversely, according to the same survey, among voters with no stated religious affiliations, presidential candidate Ségolène Royal of the Socialist Party took the lead (with an equal 33 percent of voter intentions, versus her 22 percent among Catholic voters).
As the candidate of the main French conservative political party, the Union for a Popular Movement, Sarkozy may pose a threat to the Republican value of the separation between church and state, set into law in France on December 9, 1905. The law states, "The Republic neither recognizes, nor salaries, nor subsidizes any religion." In direct opposition to this principle, Sarkozy has been quoted saying, "Religion has its two cents to add in the big societal debates," adding that he sometimes " regrets that it [religion] does not do so more often [intervene in matters of societal debate]." Taking these comments into account, it could then be that perhaps the notorious crossing himself in public incident was in fact no lapse, but an intentional gesture that stands as a foreshadowing of changes to come in French society.
And as the candidate leading first round voter intention polls at 31.5 percent (while Royal, the runner up, stands at 24.5 percent and François Bayrou of the Union for French Democracy is in third at 18.5 percent), it could indeed be that perhaps Frances longstanding tradition of laïcité as it stands today may no longer be the same in a few years. While Sarkozy has softened his speech on the topic since becoming a presidential candidate, it is a secret to none that he once bred explicit thoughts of altering the 1905 law to allow, at a bare minimum, for municipalities to finance the construction of places of worship. Despite the current toning down in order to increase his appeal to larger groups of the population for the elections, he has been unwavering in his plans to continue the discussion [on the law of 1905 and a possible amendment to it] with representatives of all religions, as he recognizes that that this is a topic that cannot be advanced on without a consensus.
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