A dialogue in Ireland between church and State that goes beyond the old cliches is urgently needed 'SECULAR MORALITY always runs the risk of becoming exhausted, or transforming itself into fanaticism, when it is not supported by a hope which addresses the human aspiration for infinity. It is in the interest of the Republic that there be a form of moral reflection inspired by religious convictions."
Nicolas Sarkozy's comments at the Lateran Palace in Rome on December 20th last year raised eyebrows in the Vatican.
Some must have wondered if the French president was reading from Pope Benedict's script by mistake.
Sarkozy's discourse went on to outline a new relationship between church and state now known as "laïcité positive" which translates roughly as "healthy secularism".
If eyebrows were raised at the Vatican then jaws must have dropped back in Paris where the secular tradition is guarded ferociously.
The left-wing newspaper, Libération, described the project as "Mission Impossible" while others argued that secularism needs no adjective.
There was agreement, however, that Sarkozy's comments were a significant milestone in the evolution of church-state relations since the French Revolution.
This new openness to faith comes at an interesting moment in the life of the church in France.
The decline of cultural Catholicism there is undeniable - only half the population now call themselves Catholic and weekly Mass attendance is below 10 per cent.
Yet there are also signs of remarkable vitality. Dozens of new religious orders and lay movements have been established, the church operates its own radio and TV stations, and the Archdiocese of Paris is attracting large numbers of priestly vocations.
It was against this backdrop that Pope Benedict arrived in Paris last September.
His goal was to encourage this small but vibrant church and to begin an intellectual engagement with Sarkozy's "laïcité positive".
His efforts were widely regarded as a success.
The open air Mass at Esplanade des Invalides drew some 260,000 people - much larger than the 150,000 initially expected. Many commentators noted that the most striking feature of the gathering was the disproportionate number of young adults present.
In addition, the French media acknowledged Benedict's own intellectual dynamism. Le Figaro welcomed him as "le Penseur", the thinker, while Le Monde highlighted that he had come to Paris with a message for intellectuals and "les Chercheurs"- seekers.
Benedict told them that the church is an ally of the state in its efforts to forge an ethical society. In turn, the church seeks only to propose, rather than impose, its ideas about the human person and the human community.
Recognising that this ongoing dialogue will need a home, the Archdiocese of Paris has recently renovated Collège des Bernardins, a 760-year-old Cistercian monastery by the Seine, as the venue for a robust but respectful exchange between "the city and the church", between secular culture and the Catholic faith.
The church in Ireland has no physical locus for such a dialogue but perhaps the news that the Eucharistic Congress will take place here in 2012 provides an opportunity for a similar respectful engagement to begin between the city and the church, between "seekers" and those of faith.
Unfortunately, in the public mind, the Eucharistic Congress is hostage to the black and white images of the 1932 Dublin gathering and the associated memory of a confessional Republic.
Likewise, Catholicism in Ireland is hostage to memories of a domineering church that overplayed its hand.
The result is a cliched dismissal of anything the church might have to say on a range of issues.
So, for instance, any comment on sexual morality is seen as an attempt to restore a Victorian Puritanism. The church, though, is an asset to the State.
Catholic schools, for instance, are forming a generation of youngsters who, prompted by their faith, take a keen interest in social justice issues in their local communities and in the developing world.
"A person who believes is a person who hopes", Sarkozy told his audience in Rome last December, "and it's in the interest of the Republic that there be many women and men who nourish hope."
In an Ireland grappling with economic turmoil, anxiety about the future and the fragmentation of community and family life, perhaps a Catholicism that nourishes hope ought to be a very welcome participant in the public square.
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Sotto Voce
(Source: IT)