{"id":62769,"date":"2018-04-11T06:47:39","date_gmt":"2018-04-11T06:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=62769"},"modified":"2018-04-11T06:47:39","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T06:47:39","slug":"french-president-macron-to-bishops-give-us-wisdom-not-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/french-president-macron-to-bishops-give-us-wisdom-not-solutions.html","title":{"rendered":"French President Macron to bishops: ‘Give us wisdom, not solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

French President Macron to bishops: ‘Give us wisdom, not solutions<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

As France tackles the same culture wars on immigration and bioethics pervasive across the West, the country\u2019s young and charismatic leader told the country\u2019s Catholic bishops Monday that while their wisdom is cherished, that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that they will get the outcome they desire.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe listen to [the voice of the Church] with interest, with respect, and we can even make our own many of its points. But this voice of the Church, we both know deep down cannot be ordering,\u201d the French President Emmanuel Macron told bishops on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt can therefore only be questioning,\u201d Macron said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The president\u2019s remarks were made at an event organized by the French Bishops\u2019 Conference (CEF) April 9 at the College des Bernardins in Paris, with the participation of several high-ranking French officials and about 400 guests.<\/span><\/p>\n

Archbishop Georges Pontier of Marseille, head of the CEF, spoke at the meeting presenting the main concerns of the French Church regarding bioethics, immigration and the growing religious tensions that are gripping the country and making global news headlines.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is France attempting to resolve growing tensions surrounding immigration in the context of populist right-wing political parties, mainly the National Front led by Marine le Pen, but it\u2019s also in the middle of a heated debate concerning a legal opening toward euthanasia and in-vitro fertilization for same-sex couples.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pontier made an appeal \u201cto overcome the fears that inhabit our French society and engage with determination and confidence in a better knowledge of each other, and in the openness to others of each of its components,\u201d adding that the priority should be made to address the needs of \u201cthe most fragile, the poorest, the vulnerable, because that is how confidence in the nation is built and deepened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The event was the first time a French head of state had accepted an invitation by Catholic clergy to address such a topic, in a country that has historically prided itself for its firm separation of Church and State. Macron said the meeting defied \u201cskeptics on both sides,\u201d by attempting to repair a tie that has been inconsistent though the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn this moment of great social fragility, when the very fabric of the nation is in danger of being torn apart, I consider my responsibility not to let the confidence of Catholics in politics and politicians deteriorate,\u201d the president said. \u201cAnd I cannot let this disappointment worsen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In January, Macron launched the \u201cEtats g\u00e9n\u00e9raux de la bio\u00e9thique\u201d – the \u201cEstates General of Bioethics\u201d to engage in a six-moth debate concerning the intersection between society and technology. Among the most contested issues are the possibility of legalizing euthanasia, which is currently illegal, and allowing in-vitro fertilization for single women and lesbian couples.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the spirit of promoting dialogue, France\u2019s National Ethics Advisory Committee began a consultation with citizens, organizations and religious institutions in order to prepare a final document to be presented to the French parliament to aid in their deliberation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In response, the French bishops published on their site a series of dossiers presenting the Catholic perspective, stressing the importance of children being brought up with fathers and the need to increase palliative care for patients.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, 118 French bishops signed a declaration titled \u201cEnd of life: Yes to the urgency of Fraternity,\u201d which was presented in Lourdes on March 22 during the course of their plenary assembly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking at the meeting Monday, Pontier questioned the commitment of the state to defend the weakest in the society, stressing once again that paternity is fundamental in the upbringing of children, and asked whether Macron considered a limit when it comes to euthanasia.<\/span><\/p>\n

The president denied that the government has a \u201chidden agenda,\u201d where the conclusions to be drawn had already been determined, dismissing suspicions that engaging Catholicism in the debate was a way to \u201cdilute the word of the Church or take her hostage.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Macron went on to say that the questions raised by the bioethics debate are not simple and can only be engaged by addressing deep moral, social and individual concerns of all aspects of society, including non-believers.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this context, he emphasized that the role of the Church in engaging in the political debate is at its best when it\u2019s \u201cquestioning\u201d and not \u201cordering.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In line with Pope Francis\u2019s new apostolic exhortation on holiness, Gaudete et Exsultate, which addresses the need to have an all-encompassing concern for life from the unborn to the refugee, Pontier told Macron in his speech that it\u2019s essential to welcome the many immigrants and refugees pouring into the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, the French president has promoted a controversial new law on immigration, which tries to apply more efficiency to asylum applications while at the same time enforcing stronger penalties for undocumented immigrants. The law has been cheered by many on the right in the country, while many on the left have seen it as a betrayal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not unlike in the French novel Les Miserables, Macron seemed to be appealing to the \u201claw\u201d and \u201cmercy\u201d axiom, where the need to welcome and cater to the individuals looking for a future in France must be met with the concrete realities of ensuring safety within the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the conciliation of law and humanity that we are attempting,\u201d he told the bishops, adding that he drew inspiration from Francis\u2019s call to apply prudence in this delicate balance. Macron described an \u201cethical tension\u201d between the care of the refugee and protecting borders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe must make a clear commitment to ensure that the Republican order is maintained and that this protection of the weak does not constitute lawlessness and a lack of discernment,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pontier also called out growing religious tensions fermenting in the country and instrumentalized by some populist parties in France. In late March, an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor, Mireille Knoll, was killed in her home in Paris, raising anew the alarm of anti-semitism in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

France has also been the scene of several terrorist attacks over the past decade, which has fueled anti-Muslim rhetoric. On March 24, a lieutenant and Catholic convert, Arnaud Jean-Georges Beltrame, exchanged places with a hostage of a terrorist attack in Tr\u00e8bes, France, where he was shot and stabbed to death by his captors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beltrame \u201cshowed us what the human being is capable of when he is inhabited by the ideal of defending his country, and of being able to face the most unexpected situations that require a decisive choice. Giving one\u2019s life and giving life are the greatest things in existence,\u201d Pontier said. Macron said that religious pluralism is an essential component of our time and that the Church is essential in providing the platform for that dialogue.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is nothing more urgent today than increasing the mutual knowledge of peoples, cultures, religions; there is no other way for this than speaking face-to-face, but also through books, by sharing the work,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Church, Macron said, is at its best when it offers a welcoming a and friendly voice in a world increasingly dominated by doubt, change and uncertainty.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a Church from which I do not expect lessons, but rather this wisdom of humility,\u201d he concluded, \u201cbecause we can only have one common horizon and seek every day to do our best to accept the inescapable lack of tranquility that follows our actions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-https:\/\/cruxnow.com\/global-church\/2018\/04\/11\/french-president-macron-to-bishops-give-us-wisdom-not-solutions\/<\/span><\/p>\n

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