Pope Leo XIV appears to rebuke French secularism in Macron’s presence

(LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV appeared to reproach France’s secularism during a speech at the Élysée in the presence of President Emmanuel Macron.

“The Christian involved in public life, who acts in the light of his conscience enlightened by faith, cannot be considered a proselytizer or a threat to the unity of the homeland,” Leo said, according to AdVaticanum’s Vatican correspondent Niwa Limbu.

“A just secularism therefore does not consist in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in committing to ensuring that the State and religious institutions dialogue with one another and join their forces in the service of the common good,” said the pope.

He appeared to take direct aim at France’s policy of “laïcité,” which mandates the total separation of the state from religion. The policy was codified by the 1905 Law on the Separation of the Churches and the State.

Last year, Macron delivered a national address praising the country’s secular framework on the same date that historically initiated significant conflict between the French government and the Catholic Church.

Developing…