Archbishop Christian Lépine said the “plural dimension of our society must be respected” and it would be “good for the overall health of the country” if there was a conscious rededication to valuing the peaceful coexistence of diverse cultures and belief systems.

The 73-year-old Archbishop of Montreal emphasized multiple times during an interview with The Catholic Register that “society has never been secular.” The “state might be secular, but society is not.”

Lépine is compelled to take a public stand for pluralism at this time in reaction to the Quebec government’s proposed ban on prayer in public spaces. This measure is seen as a response to the stark rise in speech prayer — notably mass Islamist displays at pro-Palestinian protests across the province.

Advertisement

He wrote in a letter posted to the archdiocesan website Sept. 2 that “at its core, to forbid public prayer would be somewhat like forbidding thought itself.” And he underscored that ensuring society remains neutral “does not require faith to disappear from public life. On the contrary, confusing State neutrality with the neutralization of society would represent a serious step backwards.”

Lépine also warned that if this legislation becomes law, it “jeopardizes” long-standing traditions like the March of Forgiveness, the Way of the Cross, Feast of Corpus Christi and March for Peace. He mused if Pope Francis’ 2022 penitential pilgrimage to foster reconciliatory ties with Indigenous peoples could even occur under such a ban.

Georges Buscemi, the president of the Quebec Life Coalition, suggested Lépine was being mindful of his apparent target audience when crafting this letter.

“Likening prayer to thought and banning prayer to banning thought was an argument that was appropriate for a secular audience,” said Buscemi. “He knows he is dealing with a hostile audience, in general, in Quebec, particularly the parts of the Quebec government planning these restrictions. He’s trying to find some middle ground with them.”

Advertisement

Various religious denominations, civil rights groups and activists are joining Lépine in urging the Coalition Avenir Québec government to course correct away from this intended action. However, Montreal Rabbi Reuben Poupko offered a contrarian assertion.

“When religion is weaponized to disrupt life in downtown Montreal, as it has been persistently for the last couple of years, and citizens are increasingly outraged by the disruption to their lives, and businesses are disrupted, and business owners are complaining about the inability of customers to enter their facilities, it’s hard not to sympathize with a desire to restrict the use of prayer in a public setting,” said Poupko.

Lépine responded to Poupko by emphasizing that public prayer gatherings that can be classified as manifestations should be better regulated.

“There are rules for a public manifestation,” said Lépine. “You need the agreement of the city, and you need the presence of security for overall peace. And need someone internally to regulate and accompany the manifestation so that it’s clear to everyone that there is a context (to the) slogans, praying or yelling.”

Lépine was asked if it is difficult to minister in a province that is apparently leading the charge nationwide in trumpeting secularism.

Advertisement

He recognized that “in this moment we have a conspiracy of silence in matters pertaining to God,” and this is occurring at a juncture where more people are exhibiting “a thirst for God, for meaning in life and for the absolute.” This was particularly evident to the Archbishop at the Jubilee for Young Adults in Rome in late July and early August. He encountered a young 20-year-old French Canadian in front of St. Peter’s Basilica who said he felt called to Rome to be among the Pope and 500,000 young adults also striving to go deeper into communion with God.

“Whether or not they are recognized by mainstream media or society, we need to be there for the young adults searching for meaning in their life,” said Lépine. “We need to keep our doors open as Christians.”