The French Church has criticised proposals for the government to tighten fiscal surveillance on all faiths in the country, saying efforts to control the foreign financing of mosques should not overlook “the specific role of Catholicism in French society”.
The proposed reforms to the landmark 1905 law on Church-state separation foresee the possibility of some government aid to religions in exchange for reviews every five years to ensure each faith qualifies for tax advantages as a religious community.
President Emmanuel Macron is the latest in a line of French leaders eager to better control the foreign financing of mosques, which Paris sees as a way to spread radical versions of Islam. None of these attempts has succeeded and it is not clear the ideas under debate will become law.
Ahead of government consultations with religious leaders planned in coming weeks, the Catholic Church has warned against applying any reform to all faiths, which a new law would have to do to avoid singling out Islam.
“Our country was evangelised over 1,800 years ago and we’re not going to start reviewing this every five years,” episcopal conference spokesman Mgr Olivier Ribadeau Dumas said. “The question here is about Islam.”
He told the magazine Famille Chrétienne: “Increased control on one religion should not increase control on other religions … The role of other religions cannot be compared to the role of Catholicism in French society.”
The issue of religion’s place in society is controversial in France and any debate about the 1905 law could “revive old demons” and lead some people to conclude it should have no role in public life, he said.
Any law regulating church finances would also be “a major concern” for the Church, he added.
Ahmet Ogras, president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), has criticised the proposals for “stigmatising Islam” and François Clavairoly, head of the Protestant Federation, said he did not want “religious liberty to be even more restricted”.
A leader of one of France’s influential masonic lodges has come out strongly against any change to the 1905 law. “By expanding or diversifying their finances, some religions will strengthen their influence,” said Édouard Habrant. “We’re very worried.”
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