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Protesters in nearly 20 French cities demand public Mass be allowed to continue, while some bishops and other faithful called for patience
By Héloïse de Neuville | France
Hundreds of Catholics gathered in front of churches in some 20 cities in France last weekend to demand that anti-coronavirus measures be relaxed and then they be allowed to gather for Mass.
The government ordered that congregational worship be stopped on November 3 and four days later the decision was upheld by the Council of State, France's supreme court for administrative justice.
The Catholic protesters -- mostly families and young people well integrated into their central parishes in metropolises and medium-sized cities -- are demanding the return of public Mass as soon as possible, before the December 1 end of the current lockdown.
They argue that community celebrations and the Eucharist are vital needs for the faithful. They say public authorities have no right to deny them spiritual nourishment by de facto classifying it as "non-essential".
"We just want to express that our faith makes us alive. But we call on everyone to be respectful of government regulations," said Jean-Benoît Harel, a 23-year-old law student who started the "For the Mass" petition.
The text was published in early November and calls for the resumption of public celebrations. More than 100,000 people have signed the petition.
While these French Catholics have been mobilizing, other members of the Church have called for patience.
Several bishops and heads of dioceses -- particularly in Strasbourg, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon and Amiens -- publicly disassociated themselves from last weekend's prayerful protests that were held in front of their parishes.
They were of a similar mind as Bishop Pierre-Yves Michel of Valence, who said the protesters were not sending the right signal on behalf of the Church.
"The health situation is serious," he said.
"I would prefer that Catholics show that they are taking their share of suffering in these difficult times and that they overcome this feeling of injustice," the bishop continued.
"On Sunday, we celebrated the World Day of the Poor, and I believe that we must see this as a sign for Christians to understand where we are called," he added.
But what does this dissension actually reveal?
"This controversy over the Mass brings out extremely deep divisions, because they concern the very definition of what it is necessary to do, as a Catholic, in order to be in full fidelity to God," said Yann Raison du Cleuziou, a Catholic historian and sociologist.
On the one hand, there are Catholics who believe deprivation of the Eucharist in order to save lives, "constitutes a sacrifice". He said they see it as "a communion even greater than the Eucharist, because there is no greater love than to give one's life for those one loves".
But, on the other hand, he said there are Christians who see fidelity to Mass as a reminder that the first and absolute goal of life is contemplation of God, salvation, even if it means endangering the individual body.
"There are two relationships that oppose each other here -- to one's neighbor and to the priority of service that must be rendered to God," the sociologist concluded.
This has become an evermore burning question as the health crisis shows no signs of abating.
"The trigger for some Catholics, including myself, was the realization that the health situation was not a temporary thing," confessed Guillaume de Prémare, editor-in-chief of the magazine Permanences and former president of the La Manif Pour Tous coalition against same-sex marriage.
"As much as we were a little flabbergasted during the first confinement, the Mass now becomes an issue of public freedom. We need to find common conditions so that it can be celebrated in safety," he said.
Historian Denis Pelletier noted that there are other reasons Catholic are divided on this issue.
He said some have progressively internalized their spirituality, returning to the realm of intimacy in a secular society, while others defend the profoundly sacramental dimension of their faith.
Céline Béraud, another Catholic sociologist, said the debate may sometimes seem a little out of touch with the reality of religious practice in France.
"Outside the big cities, many Catholics no longer have access to Mass since the number of priests is declining," she pointed out.
"Part of the elderly public cannot return because they are fragile. Is there not a minority here politicizing a struggle to defend the place of French Catholicism in the face of the public authorities?" she wondered.
A deprivation of liberty
Among those who are protesting for a return to the public celebration of Mass there's the feeling that injustice has been heightened by the fact that other activities considered to be "essential" have been allowed to continue.
"Schools, transportation and the supermarket are open. But what gives life to Catholics is limited. For us, this is not normal," said Henri de Beauregard, a Catholic lawyer who defended the "For the Mass" group's petition before the Council of State.
He emphasized that this deprivation of liberty must be seen in a context that is already sensitive for Catholics, particularly "violations in the field of bioethics", "a plan on separatism that could give the impression that the State wants to regain control over religions" and the Nice attack that hit Catholics in the heart.
The mobilization of these faithful against what they consider to be a materialistic drift in society, confirms current Catholicism as a "critical body of modernity", noted Denis Pelletier, a historian of contemporary Catholicism.
"It is a reaffirmation of a small part of Catholicism as being counter-culture in society, giving itself, in times of crisis, the role of reminding us about the superiority of the spiritual horizon over the temporal," agreed sociologist Yves Raison du Cleuziou.
Through their efforts, these Catholics also wanted to keep pressure on the government in the run up to a November 16 meeting between representatives of the French Bishops' Conference, other faiths and the Ministry of the Interior.
The religious representatives will be negotiating the conditions for the resumption of congregational worship in light of the lockdown.
The Council of State mandated the meeting, while confirming the current suspension of public worship gatherings.
It lamented that no date has been set to review the measures and that no discussion was underway between the religions and the government to give a perspective to believers, whose freedom of worship -- recognized as fundamental by the Constitution -- continues to be effected by the health measures.
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