Catholic leaders question effectiveness of banning religious symbols

Published: 2004-02-12

ROME (CNS) -- Catholic leaders agreed that societies need to do more to integrate Muslim immigrants, but have raised questions about the effectiveness of banning religious symbols and about the bans' potential to infringe on individual rights. Despite warnings from Christian leaders that prohibiting Muslim girls from wearing headscarves would not promote integration or curb Islamic fundamentalism, the French National Assembly passed a ban in early February. The French law does not specify the religious symbols and garments that are banned, but it is expected to include Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps, large Christian crosses and Sikh turbans. Marie-Caroline de Marliave, a spokeswoman for the French bishops' conference, said Feb. 10, "The reservations of the bishops on the principle of using a law to resolve the problem (of integration) remains." In a December statement, Archbishop Jean-Pierre Ricard of Bordeaux, president of the French bishops' conference, said it was appropriate for the government to affirm the secular nature of France's public institutions. However, he said, it should do so in a way that underlines the fact that all believers are called to "live together enriched by each other's experience and practice." Passage of the headscarf ban, he said, "will not be the miracle response" to all the difficulties French society is experiencing as it tries to integrate a growing Muslim community, which is estimated to be almost 10 percent of the population.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .