Church in France seeks to help restore a sense of meaning
By Marie Duhamel
“Our country has fallen prey to unacceptable violence.” In a statement, the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) addresses the “serious unrest” that occurred on the sidelines of authorized demonstrations on October 17. Law enforcement officers were attacked and injured, shops were looted, public facilities were damaged, and buildings representing state institutions were ransacked.
“These scenes of rioting have left the country in a state of shock, fear, and desolation, raising numerous questions about the root causes of this crisis,” the CEF presidency notes.
The demonstrations this weekend follow a month of protests by high school students. Several bishops have, in fact, met with these young people, who lament the deterioration of conditions within their schools—a lack of the basic requirements for proper study, the absence of teachers, and widespread disorganization and absenteeism.
Individual distress and converging interests
“Of course, there are legitimate grievances,” explains Archbishop Vincent Jordy, one of the CEF vice-presidents who signed the statement. “I believe it is important, in a democratic society, that those who are grappling with questions or suffering are able to express them”—whether they are young people or members of the “Yellow Vests” movement.
Archbishop Jordy describes a society today that is “anxiety-inducing,” shaped by the new global order, the European crisis, wars, ecological concerns, and precarious living conditions.
“People today wonder what the future will look like—why have children, or even why get up in the morning to face life as it is now?” This sense of worry and anxiety weighs on many of the young people interviewed, who often find themselves unable to clearly articulate the nature of their distress. On Saturday, they were joined in the streets by French people experiencing a sense of decline, notes Archbishop Jordy, who laments “a somewhat pervasive malaise in a society that struggles to find common ground and achieve unity”—a society where individuals tend to “stay in their own corners (…), defending their own interests while losing sight of what ought to bind a democratic society together: the question of the common good.”
Combating a downward spiral of violence
Over the weekend, the issue of violence compounded this sense of unrest. The Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) describes it as a downward spiral.
“It is clear that some are taking advantage of the temporary disarray to pursue other agendas—agendas that are by no means legitimate grievances, but rather attempts to exploit the chaos, adding violence to existing suffering,” notes the Archbishop of Tours. “This violence is sometimes entirely indiscriminate, leaving decent people to see their life’s work reduced to nothing”—not to mention public buildings that have been looted or set on fire. “It is evident that some are also seeking to challenge the social order itself.”
On Monday, October 19, the leadership of the CEF urged everyone not to be drawn into this destructive, deadly cycle of violence. “Our country deserves better than this,” they wrote.
“I have the feeling that we are reaching the end of a system that fails to address the quest for happiness and meaning that resides in the heart of every human being,” says Archbishop Olivier de Germay, in an interview with Olivier Bonnel.
The Archbishop of Lyon points to the driving forces of today’s society—” based on consumerism, hedonism, and individualism”—noting that, ultimately, we now realize this system is destroying the planet, fueling frustrations, and widening inequalities. Above all, it causes us to lose sight of the meaning of our own lives; we see people who have everything they need to live, yet whose thirst for happiness remains unquenched.”
Giving a voice back, to work toward unity
In its statement, the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) expresses its solidarity with workers who have seen their efforts wiped out. It prays for an end to the unrest, calling for “legitimate grievances to be heard and taken into account, and for peace to be restored through the practice of dialogue and respect for justice.”
Deeply struck by how politicians pass the buck regarding responsibility for the disorder—rather than “working together to find ways to restore a form of social peace, in which dialogue can take root as a normal part of life in a democratic society”—Archbishop Vincent Jordy, Vice-President of the CEF, proposes several solutions to foster reconciliation.
First, he suggests the rehabilitation of “intermediate bodies” (such as unions or associations), which have been significantly weakened in recent years by a “re-verticalization and re-centralization” of the country. He argues that these entities—which ought to be spaces for dialogue—must be revitalized so that they can once again fulfill their proper role.
Putting God Back at the Center
The Archbishop of Tours believes it is necessary to address suffering, social decline, and those “much deeper questions—reaching into the spiritual realm, even if not necessarily in terms of institutional religion—such as: what is the purpose of life? Where are we heading?” He notes that for decades, the religious horizon was pushed aside—partly by taking a rigid stance on laïcité (secularism)—in an attempt to frame politics as the sole path toward a better society. Yet, he points out, it is clear that politics no longer offers the promise of achieving some grand ideal.
“People once looked forward to a ‘great transformation’ or a ‘bright new dawn,’ but today, the political sphere has stalled... many have lost faith in politics”—a system originally designed to manage societal tensions. Furthermore, Archbishop Jordy argues that the promise of “progress” has also failed to deliver.
Then there is the ecological issue: young people, he observes, are suffering because a “science without conscience” has created a society that now suffers from the very things it has produced. And there is technological progress: “new smartphones are dangled before them—devices they cannot afford—which only breeds frustration.”
The Church can offer answers to these questions, which are otherwise largely ignored in French society. The vice-president of the French Bishops’ Conference calls for broadening the debate, dialogue, and reflection—extending it beyond the political arena to include “everyone capable of bringing meaning to an era that is cruelly lacking it.”
“The solution is God,” declares Archbishop Olivier de Germay. The Archbishop of Lyon wishes to see God placed back at the center of society, for “who else but Him can foster unity among all these people—people of different cultures, often different religions, and different political opinions? What is the common ground? The common ground is that we belong to the same humanity.”
Serving the young
As the 2027 French presidential election approaches, the Primate of the Gauls hopes that religious leaders will set an example by organizing a march for peace, demonstrating that any disagreements between Jews, Christians, and Muslims—”and even within our own respective communities”—do not make us enemies.
In the view of Archbishop de Germay, Christians must act as agents of peace, encouraging everyone to engage with differing opinions while maintaining mutual respect. This is an effort that must, of course, be directed toward the youth.
“We must look upon young people with a sense of hope... When we talk with them, we realize that, like everyone else, they aspire to happiness. They possess a great deal of generosity. It is up to us, however, to provide them with a vision for the future—to show them that their lives have meaning—and to liberate them from a hedonistic society that leads them to believe happiness can be found solely through consumption and self-absorption.”
The Archbishop of Lyon hopes that young people might experience a form of “stepping outside of oneself” in order to serve others.
“I am struck, for instance, by the young people we take to Lourdes, who dedicate themselves to caring for the sick.”
“Teenagers in their first or second year of high school sometimes go quite reluctantly, but when they return, they are transformed because they have experienced the joy of being of service,” he explains, urging us not to lose hope in today’s youth, but rather to offer them the chance to engage in rewarding experiences.
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