The president of the French Protestant Federation (FPF), Pastor Jean Arnold de Clermont, stated on Tuesday that the American complaints against France concerning religious freedom were based by and large on poor information.
"The chapter dedicated to France in the State Department report on Religious Freedom in the world is very deficient," he stated and opined that the American administration was relying on biased informants for its accusations against France.
He nevertheless thought it was "quite normal for one country to ask questions of another" regarding the manner and method it respected fundamental freedoms.
At the end of April Pastor de Clermont visited Washington at the invitation of the Institute for Religion and Public Politics for a meeting at which American churches participated.
At an interview with journalists at the close of the session of the Protestant Federation, the FPF President reminded them that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution forbad any intervention by the state into the area of religion. In stressing "the extreme difference of the situation between the two states," he thought it was "completely legitimate for the French administration to be acting legislatively in the area of religion."
Pastor de Clermont also brought up the opposition by the Protestants to the first version of the "About-Picard" legislative proposal against sects. He said the joint mobilization of the FPF and the Catholic Church made it possible "to break the parliamentary consensus" so that the project would continue to be sensibly developed, he added.
The text, past by the Senate in the second session, was discussed in the National Assembly in the second half of May.
Michael Parmly, a representative from the State Department, still expressed the "concern" of the United States regarding this legislative proposal, which threatens religious freedom according to Washington.
In accordance with a law of October 27, 1998, the American State Department is obligated to consider the local status of religious freedom in its relations with foreign states.
FRANCE
Two Christian leaders criticise the new anti-sect private bill
Mgr. Billé and Minister de Clermont sent a joint letter to Lionel Jospin
Le Monde (22.05.2001) / HRWF International Secretariat (23.05.2001) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net - Email: info@hrwf.net - The President of the French Conference of Bishops, Cardinal Billé, and that of the Protestant Federation of France, Minister de Clermont, express, in a letter sent to the Prime Minister, their "reserves" about the About-Picard private bill, to be examined in a second reading by the National Assembly on May 30th.
Ecumenism has not only the purpose of bringing Christians together. It can also serve to influence political decisions. The two main leaders of the Catholic and Protestants Churches of France have just sent a joint letter to Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, to inform him of their "reserves" about the About-Picard private bill against sects, which is to be examined in a second reading by the National Assembly on May 30th (Le Monde, May 5th).
In this letter, of which Le Monde has received a copy, the President of the French Conference of Bishops, Cardinal Louis-Marie Billé, and the President of the Protestant Federation of France, Minister Jean Arnold de Clermont, confirm that they have had "a very positive look at the improvements of this text, notably the abandonment of the offence of mental manipulation ".
Three controversial points
However, the two signatories express reserves on three points of the private bill, which would be, according to them, eventually likely " to lead change the spirit of this law and strike a blow at fundamental liberties ". The religious leaders would like the word "sectarian " to disappear from the title of the law, the notion of sectarian grouping being " legally undefinable ".
Regarding the most controversial article of the About-Picard private bill, which originally established an offence of mental manipulation, the signatories appreciate the text of the members of parliament, which consists in the broadening the offence of a deceitful abuse of state of ignorance or of a situation of weakness.
It is taken into account, in the text adopted by the Senate, the case of " a person in state of psychological or physical subjection resulting from the exercise of grave or repeated pressures or techniques appropriate to alter its judgement, to lead this minor or this person to an act or to an abstinence that are seriously harmful to her ". But the religious leaders wonder, "who will judge of the harmful character " of this act or this abstinence? For them, the interpretation of this article is left open " to the personal appreciation of the judges ": " judgement will be subjected to the fashions, to the variations of time or to outside pressure".
The two signatories also regret that, although the offence of mental manipulation disappeared officially from the private bill, its definition (" to create, to maintain or to exploit psychological subjection ") remains present in Article 1 of the text. " Is there not some other reason for - in the new version of the law - which consisted in "calming" the fears of the religions which spoke against the article concerning mental manipulation, while keeping it explicitly in this article 1? " ask the religious leaders.
Since the About-Picard private bill against "groups of a sectarian character " was adopted in first reading by the National Assembly, on June 22nd, 2000, the representatives of the great religions expressed, repeatedly, their anxieties about the "dangers" that this text would have for freedom of religion. At their request, they had been heard, at the end of 2000, by the Law Commission of the Senate and the Lionel Jospin's cabinet.