Stricter secularism rejected as the way forward

Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris, has joined in France’s debate about Muslim integration following the Charlie Hebdo attack by saying that politicians’ calls for more secularism missed the point as faith had a place in the public sphere, writes Tom Heneghan.

France has been debating how better to instil respect for its ethos of laïcité that limits the role of religion in public life, after reports that some Muslim pupils refused to observe the national minute of silence for 17 people murdered by radical Islamists over three days from 7 January.

Calling for more laïcité is not wrong, Cardinal Vingt-Trois said on French television, if it meant respect for all beliefs rather than an attempt to ban religion in public. “The idea that we can neutralise the difference of beliefs by establishing a chemically pure public sphere seems to be completely illusory to me,” he said.

Many law-abiding French Muslims are seen to be almost fanatics because they believed in Islam, he said. “We need a public sphere where people can express their faith without being considered second-class citizens, which is what we blame Muslim countries for doing with Christians,” he said.