France escalates row with Catholics over gay marriage
French government warns Catholic schools to stay ‘neutral’ on homosexual ‘marriage’
January 7, 2013 (LifeSiteNews) - As French Catholics prepare to mobilize on January 13 for a national march against the creation of homosexual “marriage,” the country’s education minister is warning Catholic schools against participating, claiming that it could cause “homophobia” against homosexual students.
National Education Minister Vincent Peillon has written a letter to all of the country’s 8,300 Catholic school principals, claiming that they have the responsibility to maintain “neutrality” regarding the debate over homosexual “marriage” in their institutions, according to reports by Le Monde and the French Press Agency.
French president Francois Hollande has made clear that he supports his education minister’s controversial statements.
“Secularism is a principle of the Republic” that “each one must protect,” said the country’s socialist leader, claiming that “there is a principle that appeals to the neutrality of the government and notably within educational establishments under contract…”
The government’s reaction comes in response to a letter sent by the Catholic bishops’ secretary of education, Eric de Labarre, to all Catholic school principles in December, urging them to permit students the “freedom” to act in response to the government’s proposed homosexual “marriage” legislation.
