Cardinal warns against extending laïcité

Imposing ever tighter rules about official secularism in public life would not be “an in-depth response” to the problems posed by Islamist radicalisation and jihadist attacks in France, Cardinal André Vingt-Trois said after French mayors proposed just that, writes Tom Heneghan.

The Archbishop of Paris spoke after the Association of French Mayors issued a “handbook of laïcité” for members resisting increased demands, mostly from Muslims and Jews, to accommodate religious views in schools and public offices. “One cannot change thoughts and ways of approaching issues by making laïcité into a kind of system of prohibitions preventing certain people from expressing their convictions,” Cardinal Vingt-Trois said. “It would be an illusion to believe one can curb the temptation to radicalisation by tightening the rules to such an extent that people end up radicalised.”

The handbook advised ending  the halal and kosher meals some state schools serve for minority students and the vegetarian meals these pupils take if their dietary laws are not respected. Pressure for this has grown recently as conservative politicians compete with the far-right National Front in next month’s regional elections.