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| Europe |
| Lowering of French flag for Pope blasted as sectarian |
| 2005-04-04 |
| Edited for brevity. Critics complained Monday about France's decision to lower flags to half-staff to mark the death of Pope John Paul, saying the sign of mourning for a religious leader conflicts with the French principle of secularism. "I'm troubled," Christophe Girard, deputy mayor for culture at Paris city hall, told France-2 television. The office of Premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin ordered the flags on France's public buildings at half-staff for 24 hours following the death of the Pope on Saturday "in keeping with Republican custom." But critics say that the custom is secular, based on the separation of church and state, and they point to France's law banning Islamic head scarves in classrooms to underscore the point. "On the front of our town halls, our schools, it is marked liberty, equality, fraternity," said Girard, a "There is no god but Communism anyway! There's your standard." |
| Posted by:Dar |
| #10 French haven't been fond of Rome for a long time. They had a try at having a French Pope in Avignon, but the Holy French Catholic Church just didn't work out. |
| Posted by: RWV 2005-04-04 10:20:36 PM |
| #9 I don't think it was 10 minutes after the offical Vatican email went out that I saw the White House lowering the standard. While my reaction was to go and lower my own, I knew panties would be bunching up all over the counrty, and the world. The left has to be going crazy with prayers on Live TV and the history of Vatican City interupting even Public Television. It is similar to the same "silver lining" feeling I remember from last June when Ronnie passed away. The sights and sounds of patriotism, flag draped caisons and airforce Flyovers choked me up, while it has a different effect for on many on the left. |
| Posted by: Capsu78 2005-04-04 4:23:35 PM |
| #8 the Catholic Republic of France like the Islamic Republic of Iran how about the Islamic Republic of France? JFM- Anti-church activity was also a hallmark of the French Revolution. |
| Posted by: Spot 2005-04-04 3:54:58 PM |
| #7 I don't know about teh Phrench, but I bet Mike Newdow's head exploded when the President ordered the flag lowered. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-04-04 3:45:09 PM |
| #6 The french state is not a secular state but an atheistic one. A few weeks ago a book was published "When catholics were outlaws" about the persecution of the Catholic Church by the Third Republic between 1880 and 1914. One of the consequences was a number of officers resigning from the army when they were commandeered for expulsing monks and priests or providing proteaction for the stealing of Church property. The remaining were spied by the police and one of the two French Free Masonry branches. Officers raised in rank or stagnated according to their religious practice and the one of their wives. Result was that in the six first months of WWI, Joffre (French chief of staff) had to fire one half of French generals for hopeless incapacity, generals who had got stars thanks to their atheistic positions instead of by their merits. But in the interim they had caused thousands and thousands of French soldiers to die and they had lost a ground who later would have to be retaken at an appalling cost in French and allied lives. And the senseless carnage (1914 French soldiers were ordered to charge machine guns while wearing navy blue jackets and bright red pants) destroyed the fighting spirit of the French people. While in more moderate forms persecution of Catholics continued after the war and Gamelin, the French chief of staff whose brilliant strategy brought the defeat of 1940 owed his position to the protection of anti-church politicians. So strong was this protection that the 1940 Prime Minister resigned when he was unable to fire him (and quickly withdrew his resination since two days later the Germans launched their general offensive). And that is how the pseudo-secular but in fact atheistic ideology of the Third Republic politicians destroyed not only the french religious feeling and the French Catholic Church but France itself. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-04-04 3:27:32 PM |
| #5 "I’m troubled," Christophe Girard, deputy mayor for culture at Paris city hall, told France-2 television. He's troubled, in more ways than one. "On the front of our town halls, our schools, it is marked liberty, equality, fraternity," Was it Locke who remarked of that phrase 'complete rubbish'? |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-04-04 3:23:25 PM |
| #4 Why not, Crazy? Their pants (and brains) are at half-mast now. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-04-04 2:23:19 PM |
| #3 I can't help but wonder if France would have its flags at half-mast for OBL (or Saddam) when they bite the dust...... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-04-04 2:14:23 PM |
| #2 flags at half mast in Washington. I presume the rationale is that the Pope was head of state of Vatican City, and therefore is recognized in his role as head of state, not as head of a church. I presume this applies in France as well. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2005-04-04 1:59:55 PM |
| #1 They lowered it for Hirohito several years ago, and they complain about the Pope. How French. |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-04-04 1:57:13 PM |