Some bishops have taken a firm stand against the leader of the Front National Marine Le Pen. Others have adopted a less direct but equally clear position, inviting voters to support Europe, migrants’ reception, and the poorest brackets. Others still have declared they will not suggest preferences and that a “Catholic vote” does not exist. The French bishops and the voting declarations in this delicate transition phase ahead of the second and final round of elections scheduled for May 7 for the post of President of the French Republic, contended by Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. The atmosphere leading to the electoral appointment is high-strung. On Monday at least four policemen were wounded in Paris as a result of clashes that broke out during the trade-unions rally for May 1st, shortly after the demonstrators’ gathering in Place de la République, near Place de la Bastille. The episode signals the anger of French citizens, especially among the weaker brackets and young people regarding the heated issue of unemployment.
Monsignor Marc Stenger, bishop of Troyes, and Monsignor Denir Moutel, bishop of Saint-Brieuc and Tréguier, entrusted their lapidary voting recommendations to Tweets.
https://twitter.com/MgrDenisMOUTEL/status/858217532213395457
The former – who is also the President of Pax Christi France – invited his followers not to be guided by “fear, hatred, rejection, slander, exclusion, and closures: feelings which go against the Gospel.”
https://twitter.com/MarcStenger/status/857212789672341504
Monsignor Moutel doesn’t mince his words: “Weakening Europe and dividing the French people? NO to Madame Le Pen. More than ever, I opt for hope.”
Monsignor Pascal Witzer, Archbishop of Pontier, also chose the line of clarity. The title chosen for a long article published by the Catholic daily La Croix is unequivocal: “I shall not vote for Marine Le Pen”. “I resist the temptation of believing in the existence of easy solutions to meet challenges and difficulties that are not unique to France”, he said. “The intention of closing the doors of a Country is a downright delusion.” He added: “Speeches that conceal difficulties motivated by mere personal gain are unacceptable.”
In a press release, the Archbishop of Rennes, Dol and Siant-Malo, Monsignor Pierre d’Ornellas, never explicitly mentioned Marine Le Pen, but his reflections are not in favour of the leader of the Front National.
The archbishop guarded voters against the risk of “simplistic answers”; he stated that speech that foments violence and hatred is “intolerable”, he condemned all discourse aimed at dividing the French population.
The Archbishop offered three guidelines to voters: the construction of Europe, the love for the poor and the reception of migrants; an economy based on justice and labour.
The statement released by Monsignor Christophe Dufour, archbishop of Aix-en-Provence and Arles is a hymn to Europe. Europe – he wrote – “is a route, and like every other route it is fragile and can be annihilated.” Europe is “a path of hope.” “I love France. France in a Europe of the nations. I fervently pray for my Country. With passion I appeal to pray for France, to erect its soul.” The address of Monsignor Dominique Lebrun, bishop of Rouen, the diocese of Father Hamel, the old priest killed by ISIS terrorists, for whom a beatification process has been opened, is marked by spiritual tones. France is also all of this, a Country faced with one of the most heinous terrorist threats ever experienced. Bishop Lebrun invited his fellow citizens to vote “With the Gospel in your hands”, hoping that the vote may constitute the concrete implementation of Jesus’ commandment “You shall love you’re your neighbour as yourself.” Finally, the words of Monsignor Dominique Rey, bishop of Frejus and Toulon, are an invitation to reflect on the fact that “Catholic voters will not cast the same vote.” In fact, he wrote:
“Being Catholics doesn’t mean being political activists in a given Party.”
An interesting position was conveyed by Father Laurent Stalla-Bourdillon, director of the Pastoral Service for Political Studies of the French Bishop’s Conference. Summing up the thought of the French bishops he invited to vote for the unity of the Country. Unity – he wrote in a reflection published on the website of the French Catholic Church – “is accomplished through the respect of diversity, and not by trying to eliminate it with denial and exclusion.” For this reason the French Bishops’ remind the faithful that “populist projects in no way are a guarantee of a future of peace.” They called upon political players to renounce “the seeds of hatred and division.” While this statement is a clear reference to the politics of the Front National, Father Stalla-Bourdillon has a word also for Emmanuel Macron: last year, during his terms as member of Government, his law on labour reform sparked off demonstrations and protests.
“Political projects – wrote Father Stalla-Bourdillon – based on the idolatry of money end up destroying the human person, and constitute the ruin of the social fabric.”
