In Mayenne. The Creation Day will take place to the chagrin of the defenders of “secularism”

the judge of the administrative court of Nantes disavowed the couple from Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chames (Mayenne) who had asked him to ban the ” Creation Day » organized this Sunday, July 3, 2022 by the parish Saint-Barnabe-en-Charnie in the gardens surrounding the town hall.

A couple had acted within the framework of an interim release, their second in three days: they considered that this “religious” festival in the public space, in the park of the Butte-Verteviolated the law of separation of Churches and State. A judicial suspension was the “only remedy” to “guarantee the freedom of conscience” of atheists.

“The event known as the “festival of creation” (…) consists of a mass celebrated in the Butte-Verte park, followed by an aperitif, visits to the city of Sainte-Suzanne, games for children and ‘a market of natural and creative products and will close (…) with the blessing of the animals’, reframes the judge in chambers in an order dated June 28, 2022.

“With regard to its organizational methods and its scope, (…) this event presents, both with regard to the opening mass and the blessing of the animals, a cultic character notwithstanding the fact that these two periods are separated by festive and recreational events”, considers the magistrate.

The municipality does not provide “material support” to the event

“However (…), it does not result from the instruction that the community would bring, apart from information in the municipal bulletin, a material contribution to this demonstration”, observes the judge in chambers of the administrative court of Nantes.

“In view of the geographically and temporally limited nature of the event (…), Mrs. XXX and Mr. XXX are not justified in maintaining (…) that the authorization of the latter (…) would be likely to carry a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the principles of secularism and neutrality of public service or freedom of conscience, ”he judges.

However, the applicants’ lawyer considered that the animals could “very well” be blessed “on the forecourt” of the church or “inside” the building. The presence of these animals also posed security problems, he said.

“It can go from chicken to horse, which is not exactly the same thing… There can be a risk of transmission of pathologies: while we still do not know the origin of Covid-19 and that we are now talking about monkey pox, will the next pandemic be born next weekend in Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chammes? he wondered.

“Large families” and guest “beekeepers”

The religious nature of the celebration was also beyond doubt, according to Mr. Nicholas Granger (Lezenn Avocat), since “large families” are invited this weekend to Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chammes. The presence of beekeepers was “not neutral” either “when we know the symbol attached to the bee in the Christian region”.

The event would also necessarily violate the principle of secularism, according to him, since “some elected officials” have “already been photographed in the press next to the priest” of the parish and that municipal officials will “certainly have to put benches and chairs available to the public.

The Nantes lawyer had finally recalled that Sainte-Suzanne-et-Chammes was “one of the most beautiful villages in France” and that “tourists are not necessarily warned” of the presence of this religious festival next weekend . “For folklore it can be funny but it can also offend sensibilities,” warned the Nantes lawyer. “Would the reaction of the town hall have been the same if it had been about another religion? Personally, I have my opinion on the matter. »

An event already organized in 2021

His clients – present at the hearing – had repeated for their part that they had been “personally shocked” by the last edition in 2021, which had brought together “between 50 and 70 people” according to their counts. “We are not anticlerical: we are for the balance between secularism and religion… but here we are in total overflow”, said one of the two applicants.

“We respect the right of parishioners to go to mass, that does not bother us, but it must be reciprocal,” added his companion. “I’m absolutely not a believer, but this Creation Festival hurts me. »

GF (PressPepper)

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