As the French are called to vote this Sunday, June 30, for the first round of the legislative elections, many of them remain uncertain. Bishop of the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, Mgr Dominique Rey shared this Thursday, June 27, two short videos on X in which he assures: “Politics is the way for a Christian to imbue the Gospel in our society, to give it a soul, a meaning, to reveal to it founding values, anthropological landmarks.”
A commitment far from obvious, he readily admits. “We currently find ourselves in France in an extremely difficult, delicate climate, of political divide, of social tension,” he indicates. But acting in politics “is a civic duty and a Christian duty”. Certainly, disappointed by political life, by politicians, “the temptation to desert political life exists”. But Christians must not give in to it. “A Christian must commit, invest deeply in this fight,” he continues.
And this commitment is based on very specific criteria, the bishop adds: “From what is the basis of Christian action, that is to say, respect for life, for the family, for life from its beginning to its end. For the family because it is the basic cell of society, in the search for solidarity with the most disadvantaged, in a concern for justice, in a search for peace, and also by working for the common good and the general interest.” Acting in politics also involves challenging women and men in politics on these essential benchmarks, “these founding values of humanity.”
Without recourse to the grace of God, it is very difficult to find paths of peace and dialogue that our world needs.
But, above all, “Christians must be able to count first on the grace of God”. “Hence the importance of prayer, of supplication to the Holy Spirit, of intercession with the Virgin Mary who is the patron saint of our country to ask her to enlighten us”, he affirms before concluding: “Without recourse to the grace of God, it is very difficult to find paths of peace, of dialogue that our world needs.”
Pressed by public opinion and certain Catholic faithful, the permanent council of the Conference of Bishops of France already published on June 20 a declaration and a prayer “regarding the situation in France”. Recalling that these elections “will not solve everything”, and that “parliamentarians and political leaders cannot do everything”, the bishops first invite the faithful to hope, by turning first and foremost to prayer. Asking for the intercession of the saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Joan of Arc, patron saints of France, Catholics are encouraged to ask God “to discern correctly what is just”.
