Laïcité

Muslim headscarf debate divides France, in climate of hate
- Oct 31, 2019
In France, the conservative-led Senate approved a bill Tuesday banning mothers from wearing headscarves on school field trips, and a survey by the Ifop polling firm published Sunday suggested that eight out of 10 French think secularism is in danger.

By Elaine Ganley
Montreal archbishop, religious leaders oppose Quebec’s secularism bill
- May 20, 2019
The archbishop of Montreal worries that Quebec’s secularism legislation will affect religious liberties in this Canadian province.

By Francois Gloutnay
Notre Dame fire may finally awaken France’s ‘Zombie Catholics’
- Apr 20, 2019
Many French Catholics say the fires that engulfed Notre Dame may have also set off a spiritual spark, especially in the new generations.

By Claire Giangravè

Jewish expert says John Paul II had it right on Church/State relations
- Nov 16, 2018
Joseph Weiler, a prominent professor of law at New York University, has said that at a time of high polemics when the religious voice has been “muted” from the public arena, Saint John Paul II’s social teaching offers a balanced approach to the interaction between church and a secular state.

By Elise Harris
If everything’s a ‘right,’ then nothing is, says Vatican legal czar
- Nov 14, 2018
Giuseppe Dalla Torre, a prestigious Italian professor and jurist, has said global society, and the west in particular, needs to rethink the concept of fundamental human rights, which he said are often confused with lesser liberties, creating confusion and, ultimately, a loss of what rights are.

By Elise Harris
French court orders cross removed from statue of John Paul II
- Nov 1, 2017
A 25-foot tall statue of Pope Saint John Paul II praying beneath an arch adorned with a cross is causing controversy in Ploërmel, France. A court has ordered the cross removed, stating its “presence in a public location is contrary to the law.” The prime minister of Poland has offered to take the statue, saying the “dictatorship” of political correctness is “alien to our culture, which leads to terrorizing Europeans in their everyday life.”

By Catholic News Agency