Positive form of secularity

It is an occasion to “get to know” Benedict XVI directly, and to discover “his personality” and “how he relates with others. All this will give a more human, more immediate charge to the knowledge that the French have of him”, said Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris and President of the French Bishops’ Conference, in an interview with the French Catholic daily “La Croix”. There’s a great deal of expectation in the country, especially in terms of what the Pope will say about the principle of laïcité (secularity), i.e. the non-denominational nature of the State, and the separation between Church and State. With regard to the fears for the reactions that might be aroused by some of the speeches that the Holy Father is planning to make in France, the cardinal replies as follows: “The Pope says things with serenity and clarity, but there’s never any intention on his part to provoke controversy. He’s a man who is eager to listen, and who is in tune with the currents of thought in our time”. Moreover Benedict XVI “knows very well the French situation, both that of the Church and that of society”. “He is sufficiently subtle and shrewd to know that the traditional space occupied by Catholicism in France is at once far more central and far more open to discussion” than in other countries. The question of secularity and of the proper relation between Church and State was raised by “La Croix” in recent days and touched on by the letter (recalled by the Director of the Vatican Press Room Father Federico Lombardi) that John Paul wrote to the bishops of France in 2005, to mark the centenary of the promulgation of the French law of 1905 on the separation between Church and State.A positive view and hope for the future. “Fortunately”, over the last decade, the relation between Church and State has “evolved”, says Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone commenting on the current relation between Church and State in France a few days before the arrival of Benedict XVI in the country. Bertone’s view of that relation is positive: “President Sarkozy – he adds – gave proof of that in his speech at the Lateran when he spoke of a positive form of secularity that recognizes the importance and value of religions”. The hope for the future expressed by the Vatican representative is that “this concept of secularity may gradually be put into practice”. “The French conception of secularity – points out Cardinal Bertone – has for a long time been characterized by a tendency to sideline faith, and confine it to the private sphere. For her part, the Church in France, which is accustomed to pursuing dialogue with the other religious confessions and with the other families of thought present in French society, has often struggled to make people understand that she does not act as a lobby that tries to advance her own interests, but only wants to contribute, through her interventions, to the search for the common good”. Not a threat. “Today – continues the Cardinal in describing the current situation – the State is led to recognize the fact that, in spite of the advance of secularisation, many citizens have a spiritual life that has repercussions on social life”. In the view of the Secretary of State, it would “neither be just nor fruitful” to fail to take “this social reality” into account”. “If words have any meaning – continued Bertone -, a positive form of secularism does not represent a threat to the principle of secularity as such, nor is it a violation of it. It merely means that this kind of secularity is not blind and impervious to the religious phenomenon. And this is a development that make it healthier”. “The Church in France – adds the Secretary of State -, due to her deep historical roots in society and her missionary and intellectual needs, has always wished to be actively involved in social questions and in the places where men and omen live and work”. She “wishes to remain faithful to this tradition by continuing to embrace the sum of human realities with her concern and involvement”. The words of John Paul II. A “legitimate and healthy form of secularity” was enunciated by John Paul II in 2005, borrowing a definition of Pope Pius XII. “Society – wrote John Paul II – must be able to permit individuals, with respect for others and for the laws of the Republic, to express their religious membership. If it were not to do so, there would be a constant risk of sectarian withdrawal into their own identity and of an increase in intolerance that could not but damage friendly and harmonious peaceful co-existence within the Nation”. “It is on this condition that secularity, far from being a source of conflict, is really a condition for constructive dialogue, in the spirit of the values of liberty, equality and fraternity to which the French people are, justifiably, deeply attached”. The letter concluded with an appeal: “May no one be afraid of the religious outlook of individuals and social groups! Experienced with respect for healthy secularism it cannot but be a source of dynamism and human promotion”.