A positive balance. The Church of France is full of "signs" that make us "hope". It was drawn up by card. Jean-Pierre Ricard, archbishop of Bordeaux, since 2001 president of the French Bishops Conference. After two mandates, at the next General Assembly, due in Lourdes from 3rd to 8th November, card. Ricard will leave his position as president of the French Bishops Conference. In an interview published today on the French Catholic daily paper La Croix, the cardinal draws up his balance of these 6 years. Despite "the movement of laicisation" that is spreading above all in the West, undermining "people’s relations with faith and the Church", there are said the archbishop "Christians who are committed to ecclesial life, men and women who rediscover the walk of faith, many devotees who invest in Christian education. These signs make us hope". Seen from Rome comments the journalist , France remains an "enfant terrible", especially because of the drop in the number of callings. "These arguments replies Ricard are the same as 15 years ago. Nowadays, Rome says the opposite is true. Rome knows that our situation is difficult and knows what we have done to keep our Church alive".
