Keep God, religion in society, Pope tells French

POPE Benedict XVI began a four-day visit to France with a plea to the French to keep God in their lives and let religion help create a better world.

Meeting with President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace in Paris, the German-born pontiff praised France both for the deep Christian roots of its culture and the “serene and positive dialogue” between faith and power.

Sarkozy, who has broken a political taboo by speaking openly and positively about the role of religion in society, said it would be “a folly” for France to ignore its long history of Christian thought about God, man and nature.

Church bells rang out across Paris to greet the Pope as he arrived at the Palace after his arrival from Rome for his first trip to France as pontiff.

“It is fundamental, on the one hand, to insist on the distinction between the political realm and that of religion,” Benedict said in fluent French.

It was also necessary, he added, “to become more aware of the irreplaceable role of religion for the formation of consciences (and) the creation of a basic ethical consensus within society.”

Catholic France maintains a strict separation of church and state that has long limited faith to the private sphere. The French Church struggles with a shortage of priests and Sunday Mass attendance is below 10%.

But religion has re-emerged as a factor in public life in recent years, especially because of the growth of Islam, and French Catholics have increasingly spoken out on social issues.

Benedict was due to expand on his message later last night in a major speech on faith and culture to a select audience of 700 intellectuals and artists at a Catholic cultural centre just opened in a freshly renovated medieval college on the Left Bank.

The twice-divorced Sarkozy, who considers himself a “cultural Catholic” but does not attend Mass regularly, broke with protocol to greet Benedict at Orly airport.

His wife Carla Bruni, a singer and former supermodel, was also present at the airport palace.

Benedict said the Church can guide youths to responsible lives and help the poor, and said he was very worried about the state of the planet.

Noting France’s current presidency of the European Union, he said the EU prized human rights, and that Europeans would support it actively if they see those rights — including the right to life “from conception to natural death” — respected.

Sarkozy said all religions helped “respond to man’s need for hope... the search for spirituality is not a danger for democracy, not a danger for secularism.”